Demand for papal Christmas Eve Mass tickets exceeds supply

Tickets for Christmas Eve Mass with Pope Benedict XVI were in high demand and short supply this year.
There were not enough tickets available for all the people who wanted to attend the liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, according to the Vatican.
The basilica holds 7,000 people for Christmas Eve Mass, which this year begins at 10 p.m. Those without tickets were being invited to take outdoor seats in St. Peter’s Square and follow the ceremony on two large video screens.
Although the total request for free tickets was not available, the Vatican stopped accepting written requests early in December. Some people living in Rome who have traditionally received tickets were informed by fax that they could not be accommodated this year.
The Church of Santa Susanna, the parish for Americans in Rome, also had to stop accepting requests for tickets to the papal Christmas Eve Mass because the large demand made it impossible to guarantee fulfilling all the requests.