Travel Tips for JPII Beatification

It's getting harder and harder to find accommodations in Rome for the May first weekend as more than two million pilgrims are expected to descend on the Eternal City for the Beatification of Pope John Paul II to be celebrated on the holiday.

The Vicariate of Rome’s travel organization Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi (ORP) has launched a new multi lingual website that will help visitors plan their trip to Rome for the beatification of John Paul II, the city’s bishop for 26 years.

For practical information on getting to Rome and finding and booking accommodations, pilgrims can click on www.operaromanapellegrinaggi.org or www.jpiibeatus.org . The site, available in English, Italian, and Polish, will soon offer Spanish and German editions as well.

It also provides information on events planned around the beatification ceremony, real time traffic updates, and press and multimedia areas. Like Vatican Radio, the site will allow visitors to follow the major beatification events in live-streaming.

In addition, ORP offers the “Special JPII Pass” including public transportation around the city, a package lunch, a map of Rome, ORP’s double decker bus tours of Christian Rome, and audio guided visits to a number of Christian sites, health coverage, and exclusive deals and discounts.

Fr. Caesar Attuire runs ORP for the Vicariate of Rome. He tells Tracey McClure it is important for pilgrims coming to Rome to know that entrance to the beatification mass for John Paul II in St. Peter’s square is free.

“There is no need to buy tickets to be able to assist at mass in the Vatican. It’s never been done in the past and it will not be done on this occasion”

Hear the full interview for more details about ORP’s travel tips: