St Peter's Basilica on sunday

My husband and I went to mass at St Peter's last September. We arrived early for the 9:00 mass because we thought the security line would be very long. We were able to walk right up to the security and got right in. We spent the extra time walking around the Basilica. We did not climb to the dome, but given how quickly we got through security I would expect it would be a good time to do it. Mass got over about 10:00 and when we walked out the line was all the way around the perimeter to get into the 10:30 mass. So early definitely is better.

Also, if the Pope is in Rome, he appears at his window at noon on Sundays to give an address. We spent the time between mass and the audience getting breakfast and checking out the shops. I would definitely recommend going to the audience. The papal band comes out and there is a happy crowd assembled.

We could use Roberto or one of our other Rome experts here…
I'm seeing some Sunday masses in October which look to be out of the ordinary. The Papal website notes that tickets are required for these:

http://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/en/udienze_en.html

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/canonization-of-martins-on-pope-s-oct-nov-schedule

Sunday 4th, Papal mass: 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time: at 10 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass for the opening of the 14th General Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

Sunday 18th, Papal Canonization mass: 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time: at 10.15 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass for the canonisation of Blesseds Vincenzo Grossi, Mary of the Immaculate Conception, and the couple Louis and Marie-Azelie Martin.

Sunday 25, Papal Mass: 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time: at 10 a.m. in the Vatican Basilica, Holy Mass for the conclusion of the 14th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops.

Roberto? Anyone? Will these require aomi0422 to do some special planning?

It really depends on which date you plan to visit. Even if you require a ticket, they are free and you can get them from the Vatican by faxing them your information:

Fax: +39 06 6988 5863

Indicating:
Date of the General audience or Liturgical celebration
Number of tickets required
Name / Group
Mailing Address
Telephone and Fax numbers

the forum you can download from here:

http://www.vatican.va/various/prefettura/en/biglietti_en.html

If there are no special events going on then you won't need any special tickets and can just enter and enjoy one of the masses that are going on.

Donna

Thanks Kathy for the link. I noticed the Sunday I am planning to go the Canonization Mass is scheduled to take place. What is a Canonization Mass? Does it mean it is going to be busy at St. Peter's? Would regular masses still be taking place? Would part of the St Peter's be closed because of it?

According to the information, you're going to need to get a ticket to attend mass on that morning as it's not your standard, run-of-the-mill Sunday service. They are free: see Donna's post below my last one on how to do that.

A canonization mass is one in which an individual (or individuals, in this case) is formally declared a saint. The Pope just officiated one of these for Spanish friar Junipero Serra on Wed. in Washington D.C. They are a big deal for the faithful believers of the individuals who've met the multiple qualifications determined by the church.

The more popular the nominee is, the bigger the crowd will be. Tens of thousands of people flocked to St Peter's Square for last year's canonization mass for Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul II. Additionally, Pope Francis is proving to be a crowd magnet all by himself!

(No, I'm not a Catholic but have followed this week's events with interest!)

Any papal mass requires a special tickets, and they're not easy to get. And tickets are typically distributed months ahead. That canonization includes the parents of very important saint from late 19th century France. That is going to be an incredibly crowded event and the tickets are going to be difficult to get. And I believe one of the mentioned events was the opening Mass of the synod of bishops – not something you're going to be getting into readily. The other thing to keep in mind, if you're going to try to go to one of the special masses, is that you will be there almost the whole day, without the option of leaving early. A couple of years ago I went to an ordination Mass at St. Peter's, which was incredibly beautiful; however, we had to be there about 3 hours before it started, the ordination and Mass then lasted another 3 hours, and it was probably another hour to actually get out of the Basilica and square. Hardly tourist events.

Where is the special mass held? Does St Peter's Basilica remain open to tourist during the special mass?

There are multiple mentions on the net of the basilica being closed to general tourism during papal masses, such as this one on the "Around Rome" tour company's website:

"The Basilica is subject to last minute closures for religious ceremonies. When this occurs, we are happy to offer customers an extended tour of the Vatican Museums. While we undertake to tell tour groups ahead of time if there are any planned disruptions to Basilica opening hours, this is not always possible and in these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts."

And this comment from on a "Though Eternity" tour review:
"Unfortunately we never did get into St Peters as there was a special mass being said that day by the Pope."

On Trip Advisor:
"...because of the papal mass and we didn't get into St Peter's at all. "

And Pontifical North American College:

"If there is a Papal Mass being held on Sunday morning, pilgrims will not be able to enter without a ticket. No other Mass will be held during the Papal Mass."

Given the above, I'm sure that the basilica will be closed before, during and for a time after the service. Security around the Pope being what it is plus the need for a heightened atmosphere of decorum/crowd control during a special mass would indicate that tourists won't be allowed to just wander about.

Thank you you all for the invaluable insights!!