U.S. Representative Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) announced a lottery for 10th Congressional District residents to receive tickets to see His Holiness Pope Francis of the Holy See following his Sept. 25, 2015, address to Congress.
Pope Francis will make a brief public appearance following his at 10 a.m. ET (7 a.m. local, PT) address to Congress on the steps of the U.S. Capitol facing the West Lawn. Additionally, dependent on an on-time schedule, the Pope has expressed an interest in seeing the public on the West Front following his address.
This is the first time a reigning pontiff has addressed Congress. The request was made by Speaker John Boehner in March 2014 and was accepted by Secretary of State and Assessor for General Affairs, Monsignor Peter Brian Wells.
“This will be a historic visit, and given the large public interest in Pope Francis, the U.S. Congress is making the appropriate preparations to reflect the magnitude of his visit to the Capitol and ensure his message can be heard by all Americans,” said Boehner.
A limited number of tickets have been made available to each Member of Congress to distribute to constituents. Requests for tickets will be accepted until September 4, 2015 at 5 p.m. PT, Constituents selected will receive further information regarding ticket pick up and event timing.
Tickets may not be sold or given away and must be picked up in person by the constituent who made the initial request Sept. 22 or Sept. 23. Photo ID must be provided at the time the tickets are picked up.
“Please note that my office can only provide tickets to 10th district constituents,” stated Denham on Facebook.
The lottery is for standing-room admission to the West Lawn during the simulcast of Pope Francis’ address, and ticket holders are responsible for their own transportation to and from Washington, D.C., lodging, and other trip expenses.
For those unable to attend, Pope Francis’ visit to the U.S. Capitol will also be broadcast on television via C-SPAN, and live online at speaker.gov/pope on Sept. 24th.
For more information on tickets for 10th Congressional District residents, visit http://denham.house.gov/pope-francis-visit.
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