The visit of Pope Francis to Quebec continues to arouse the enthusiasm of the faithful. The proof: the 2,000 tickets that were available free of charge to attend the pontiff’s mass in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, on July 28, all sold out in less than ten minutes on Monday.
Posted at 3:25 p.m.
“We expected that, because on the Edmonton side it had taken off very quickly also last week. We know that the interest in the Pope’s visit is very important, and that was reflected once again today,” explains the director of communications for the Catholic Church of Quebec, Valérie Roberge-Dion.
It was on the TicketMaster platform that the tickets were offered on Monday at 12:30 p.m. Barely 15 minutes later, the site showed that the tickets – which are free – “are now sold out”.
Earlier on Friday, Canadian officials for the Pope’s visit warned in a statement that “several online resale sites” had posted tickets for the mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, scheduled two days earlier on July 26. The place can accommodate up to 65,000 people.
“It is sad and disturbing that someone is trying to resell free tickets to an event with Pope Francis as part of his pilgrimage of healing, reconciliation and hope. Members of the public should avoid any resale site as the tickets may not be legitimate.
“Tickets for papal visit events are free. Do not buy tickets from resellers or private sites”, had further insisted the officials, grouped under the name of the organization “Walking together, Pope Francis Canada 2022”.
Fraud attempts in sight
Mme Roberge-Dion, she specifies that the TicketMaster platform “has reinforced its security measures to try to identify people who try to take advantage of it”. “Our message is really never to buy it. It doesn’t make sense to pay a fortune for free tickets, and for an event based on forgiveness. It is also possible that the ticket is invalid. There can always be fraud,” she reasons.
According to the schedule unveiled at the end of June by the Vatican, Pope Francis will spend two nights in Quebec. Activities will also take place on July 27 and 28 on the Plains of Abraham, with an address by the Pope from the Citadel on July 27. No ticket will be required to attend the activities on the plains.
On July 28, a mass will be held at the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica, a popular place of pilgrimage with many Aboriginal communities. Then, on July 29, before flying to Iqaluit, the pope will meet with indigenous delegations.
Up to 10,000 places will be available in front of the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré basilica. Of the number, 7,000 are reserved for indigenous communities, 2,000 for the general public – those who were released on Monday – and 1,000 for delegations from dioceses coming mainly from eastern Canada.
Inside the building, 1,400 places will be reserved for official delegations and indigenous communities, by invitation only. About 5,000 people will also attend mass from the Domaine Sainte-Anne, a campsite located near the river, opposite the basilica.
The pope’s visit to Canada follows an apology delivered in Rome in April to Canadian indigenous delegations, and coincides with the feast of Saint Anne, grandmother of Jesus, a popular figure among several indigenous groups.