Saturday, 5 November 2016

Our Europe Honeymoon at Vatican City: Attending General Audience as Newlyweds for Pope Francis' Papal Blessing

General Audiences (or Papal Audiences) are held on Wednesdays if the Pope is in Rome. Visitors may typically wish to obtain tickets in advance (free of charge) to enter St Peter's Square for the audience. If you do not have a ticket, you can still enter and participate at the back of the Square.

The Audience usually starts at 10.30am and will include small teachings and readings. Depending on the groups that were visiting, there will be different addresses made to them in their languages. The Audience will end with several blessings where the Pope will pray for different intentions and bless any religious articles visitors have brought along.

For more information on Papal Audience, check out the official website here.



Tickets collection the day before

In our previous post on how to reserve tickets to the Audience as Sposi Novelli in Singapore, we mentioned that we have received the attestation certificate and a copy of the letter from the Papal Household.

It was indicated in the letter that we can collect the General Audience tickets in Pope Paul VI Hall between 3pm to 7pm on the day before the Audience, or between 7am to 10am on the actual morning itself.

To ensure that there are no hiccups, we decided to collect it the day before. It was rather easy to find the queue. Once we entered the city, there was a pretty long queue that has formed along the Square.

The queue for tickets collection

Everyone was just patiently waiting for their turn to enter the hall for tickets collection. There is a bag and security check along the line and I had to stay behind because Mr R has forgotten to remove his Swiss Army Knife from his backpack. :(

Anyway, he took some photos along the way while he waited for the tickets, so here goes:

More queuing....

Done!

Here's how the tickets looked like

Buying a Zuchetto for the exchange

Word has it that if you present a Zuchetto to the Pope and it fits, he will exchange his Zuchetto for yours.

After we collected the tickets, we made a trip to Gammarelli, the Vatican tailor, to purchase a Zuchetto. It cost about 80 Euros (~120SGD). 

Gammarelli, tailor for Roman Clergy
Gammarelli, tailor for Roman Clergy

Ditta Annibale Gammarelli (Via S. Chiara 34 - 00186 Roma) was about a 30 minutes walk from St Peter's Square and you probably need to use google maps or equivalent to navigate your way around. It opens on weekdays from 8.30am to 7pm.

Our happy little purchase
Preparing for the Audience

As part of the Sposi Novelli requirement, I bought myself a simple white dress online and brought my veil along (just in case). 

The top criteria i had in mind was lightweight and wrinkle-free... because backpacking with a full bridal dress is not really a funny joke and going to meet the Pope with a wrinkled dress is a huge no-no too!

The dress i bought
Day of the General Audience

The security counters are opened from 8am, but because Sposi Novelli couples have a designated sitting area, we decided to enter the Square only at about 10am. It was really packed with people who were early so that they can get a good view.

Can you tell it was scorching hot??
The weather was crazy that day and we were kind of relieved that we didn't join the crowd earlier. For people who have lived their lives on the equator, the sun was killing us. Imagine how ironical it would have been to be down with heatstroke when we are in Rome. :'D

We could barely keep our eyes open
Mr R's camera has an incredible zoom!
Queuing up to queue for blessings
After the Audience has ended, the Pope went round the Square to greet the other visitors. The Sposi Novelli has to queue up to wait for Pope Francis to be back.

Everyone waiting patiently to meet the Pope
Spotted a Chinese couple in her Kua
Finally the moment arrives! The Pope appears and started blessing each and everyone of us.

Pope Francis trying on our Zuchetto
Pope Francis blessing the religious articles we bought

Star Struck moment
One thing to note is that we are not allowed to take photos during the interaction with the Pope. Someone will pass you an instruction slip with details on the venue to select, purchase, and collect official photos. We purchased the three photos above (together with some other photos) in digital format and 4R printed format.

After the blessing we were ushered into the Basilica where we were allowed to admire the pieces up close.

The famed La Pieta
It was too crowded to get closer though

Love how the lights are filtered in from the ceiling
We bought night tickets to the Vatican Museum on another day so we called it a day at the Vatican City.

Our Europe Honeymoon at Vatican City: Getting There

After our two nights stay at the bridal suite, we set off for our 18-day Europe Honeymoon trip. The first stop is of course the main highlight of the trip: Vatican City!

Flying in to Rome via Singapore Airlines
Flying in to Rome via Singapore Airlines

I must say that Singapore Airlines is Singapore's pride for a reason. They gave us a handwritten card, champagne and a cake to commemorate our honeymoon trip! *nomnom*

Congratulatory cake from Singapore Airlines
Congratulatory cake from Singapore Airlines

After the really long flight, we finally reached Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino Airport! We bought our Leonardo Express tickets to Rome Termini Station via the many automated ticket kiosks. We read online that you can also buy the tickets from the newstands but we didn't attempt that.

Trenitalia Biglietti ticketing booth
It was a rather straightforward process using the booth to purchase tickets

A cup of Italian coffee later, we are on our way to Romaaaa!

Boarding the Leonardo Express and reaching Rome in 30 mins
Boarding the Leonardo Express and reaching Rome in 30 mins

The first thing we did when we reached Rome was to head over to TIM store and get ourselves data SIM. TIM allows us to use the data throughout Europe and the plan was rather friendly on the pockets. They had a bundle deal so we got separate data SIM for easy communication.

On board Metro Line A to Ottaviano San Pietro Station
Pardon my face still swollen from water retention and the 14-hour flight

After settling our data connection and reporting our safety to homeland, we took Metro Line A to Ottaviano S. Pietro. There are several ways to get to Vatican City but taking the metro is a safer option. Buses to Rome are notorious for their skillful pickpockets and we really didn't want to be easy targets on our first day there.

If this helps, i made a little directions guide to getting to Hearth Hotel
If this helps, i made a little directions guide to getting to the Hotel

From the station, it was a quick five minutes walk to Hearth Hotel, where we booked the double room for four nights. Hearth Hotel is strategically located right opposite of the Vatican Museum, and there are cafes, supermarkets, and food market (Mercato Trionfale) all within the vicinity. Breakfast was included and we spent approximately 150 Euros per night's stay (~SGD230 per night).

Hearth Hotel: Simple hotel with great service
Hearth Hotel: Simple hotel with great service

We explored the area a little before going into Vatican City to collect our General Audience Tickets. Lunch at the Trattoria opposite the museum was simple but good. Having pasta in Italy is really an eye-opening experience because it looks so ordinary and yet tastes so good!

Trying to decide what to eat...

We were a little skeptical when food was served but after we tasted it, we were sold!

Taking a stroll along Sant Angelo Fortress and exploring Vatican City:

Sant Angelo Fortress
Sant Angelo Fortress

Vatican City
Finally here at Vatican City!

The Mango of the Catholic world :D
We ended the day with exploring the Pantheon and taking in the scenic river view.


pantheon
The Pantheon

We chanced upon this place which seemed to be really popular

Interesting deco in the store

Everyone was just standing at the counter enjoying their coffee and snacks

We will be sharing more photos in the next few updates! Stay tuned!


Thursday, 3 November 2016

Our Europe Vatican Sposi Novelli Trip - 5 Easy Steps to Meet Pope Francis for Newlyweds' Papal Blessings

One day I came across this article on how a newlywed couple met the Pope and received his blessings for their marriage and I thought to myself, ''how wonderful it is if I can have the chance to do so too!''


A smiling Pope Francis
A smiling Pope Francis
Credits: Biography.com

When Mr R and I decided on a wedding date, I decided to find out how to get us tickets to Sposi Novelli (which just means ''newlyweds'' in Italian). Here I sum them all up in a few easy steps and we hope that it will help other couples who are keen to do so as well.


1. How do I qualify for the Papal Blessing? 

You must fulfill the following criteria:
a. Couples must be married within two months of the general audience date that they wish to attend;
b. They must bring both the certificate of attestation from the Chancery and the sacramental marriage certificate for verification;
c. The newlyweds must wear their wedding attire (or something similar) during the audience.


Wedding couples at Audience for Sposi Novelli
Wedding couples at Audience for Sposi Novelli
Credits: pnac.org

2. Who should I contact in Singapore?

Email Chancery of Singapore for a form to request for reservation of Sposi Novelli tickets at pachancery@catholic.org.sg. The friendly folks will answer your questions and tell you what are the documents required.

3. How should I request for the general audience tickets?

Fill in the form with the names that will appear on your sacramental wedding certificate (to note especially if your Christian name is not part of your NRIC name), and inform the Chancery of your wedding date, Holy Matrimony venue (Church), and the Priest who will be officiating the sacrament.


Our wedding setup at Church of the Nativity of the B.V.M.
Our wedding setup at Church of the Nativity of the B.V.M.

4. How long do I have to wait for a confirmation?

After the submission of form to the Chancery office together with a copy of the sacramental marriage certificate, you will have to wait for three to four weeks for the Prefecture of the Papal Household's confirmation. 
Tip: If you are like us (who are going on honeymoon right after the wedding), let the Chancery know your Holy Matrimony date and inform them that you are requesting for tickets in advance. They will then seek prior permission from Vatican to allow you to skip the submission of sacramental marriage certificate first.

5. Whee... it is approved! What's next?

Once the request has been approved by the Papal Household, the Chancery office will notify you via email. They will also send you a copy of the Certificate of Attestation from the Chancery, and a copy of the letter from the Papal Household. The letter will enable you to collect the actual general audience tickets in Vatican.
If you received an advance approval for tickets before you submitted the wedding certificate, do remember to submit the certificate to the Chancery once you receive it after the ceremony. The Chancery will then send you the documents mentioned above.


Pope Francis greeting the crowd at the General Audience
Pope Francis greeting the crowd at the General Audience
Credits: stationofthecross.com

With the documents and your wedding attire, you are now all set for the Vatican General Audience Trip to meet the Pope!

Do check out our next post on the collection of tickets and the meeting of Papa Francis! Remember to share this post with your friends who are keen to attend Sposi Novelli! :)