I will in Rome on Sunday 7/6/2014 and would really love to see Pope Francis I speak the Angelus Prayer. As I have never been to Rome before I was curious on the best time to start arriving and also was curious if there were specific gates/entrance I had to go through?
Thanks in advance!
It should be in St. Peter's square (ie, in front of basilica), so no special gate. Here's the schedule: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/calendar/papa-francesco_calendario_en.html
But I'd suggest getting there early. For an audience last October, we arrived 3 hours early and the square was already more than half full. I've been to several audiences over the years, and the crowd was unusually large. Apparently, that's the norm.
No telling with Pope Francis but in the past there are no Sunday appearances during the summer months. The Pope is usually away from the Vatican.
Looks like he may there this July.
We were in Rome a couple of weeks ago and attended the noon Angelus. We got there at 11 am and had a great vantage point. Of course, there are huge video monitors so everyone could see Pope Francis. There are no entry restrictions.
It was well-attended and a very moving experience.
Fred
Just make sure your shoulders and knees are covered. Not even a modest sleeveless top! I wore a long skirt and cotton top that I thought covered my shoulders adequately, but had to run and buy a scarf at one of the kiosks.
Check www.vatican.va to make sure he will be there. We went on June 22 and showed up about an hour early. No ticket or reservations required. Don't worry about a dress code in St. Peter's Square because you won't be going into a church (unless of course you are going into a church before or after - in that case knees and shoulders must be covered). Bring sunscreen because it's hot and there's no shade on the square.
The pope speaks from a high window so binoculars or a zoom camera helps (there are video screens). The brief sermon was in Italian and the prayer was said in Latin.
