After thousands of free tickets to the Pope’s upcoming mass in Edmonton were snatched up for free this week, some began reappearing online for as much as $200 per ticket, organizers say.
Since 16,000 tickets were released on Ticketmaster on Wednesday, members of the papal visit team say they’ve seen tickets be put up for sale for anywhere between $16 and $200.
“It’s really meant to bring communities together,” said spokesperson Laryssa Waler. “We elected to do it for free, so people profiting off this is really disrespectful and it’s really not the right way to do it.”
Papal Visit to Canada, the office preparing for the visit, cautioned the public against buying resale tickets that may not be legitimate.
“It is sad and troubling that anyone would try to resell free tickets for an event with Pope Francis as part of his pilgrimage of healing, reconciliation and hope,” the office said in a statement.
Pope Francis is scheduled for a six-day visit to Canada beginning with an open-air mass at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium on July 26. Tickets for the mass were booked within minutes of being released Wednesday.
Seats for the 60,000-capacity event are being released in stages as the office works to ensure Indigenous communities receive adequate spots.
