PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Want a close-up view of Pope Francis celebrating Mass in Philadelphia? Three weeks before his visit, planners have announced you'll need a ticket to do so.

Pope Francis looks at a torch held by a Paralympic athlete, during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican
Pope Francis looks at a torch held by a Paralympic athlete, during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Organizers say tickets will be required to get within five blocks of the altar on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Sept. 27.

Tickets will likewise be needed to get a spot in the same five-block area when Francis attends the closing of the World Meeting of Families a day earlier.

The Philadelphia Archdiocese's 219 parishes are getting tickets. So will surrounding dioceses, other faith communities and some social service programs.

Tickets will also be required for the pope's Sept. 26 speech outside Independence Hall, with 5,000 available online Sept. 8.

Forty huge TV screens will capture the events for those not closeby.

 

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