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Devilish NYC Scalpers Selling Free Pope Tickets For Over $700
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 14, 2015
Modified Sep 14, 2015
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 14, 2015
Modified Sep 14, 2015
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Pope Francis is coming to town later this month, and one of the biggest parts of his visit will be a procession through Central Park. Of course, now some of the lucky (tens of thousands of) people who got free tickets to see the Pope are selling them on Craigslist.
Ever since the city announced that 80,000 New Yorkers would be able to attend the Central Park procession (93,143 entered to win tickets, and those selected received two tickets each), ads have been posted, like this offer asking for $750 for a a pair of tickets, "Would you like to take a rare opportunity to see Pope Francis at Central Park?! 2 PDF Tickets will be emailed to you on 09/21/15. $750, or best offer. Paypal Only."
This has horrified elected officials and Catholic Church figures alike. State Senator Daniel Squadron said he and Assemblyman Michael Cusick were working on legislation to prohibit reselling tickets for more than their face value for charity/non-profit events: "Pope Francis' visit to the city is a chance for us to reflect on our values, not jump on the Internet to sell devotion to the highest bidder. It's disappointing people would exploit this historic occasion to profiteer, in direct conflict with the message of this spiritual world leader. In the wake of this most recent, appalling display, I call on my colleagues to join me in saying enough is enough, and put an end to legal profiteering off of charity and not-for-profit events, as our bill does."
Cusick added, "As New York prepares for Pope Francis' historic visit, it is repugnant that ticket resellers and the websites they are listed on have taken this as an opportunity to make a quick buck. Profiting off of events during the Papal visit is in direct contradiction to his message of compassion and care for all, and this practice should end immediately. "
Senator Chuck Schumer said, "I know eBay has recently banned the sale of Pope tickets on its site and I am asking other online marketplace sellers, like Craigslist, to do the same. I’m hopeful they will heed the call."
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark hasn't commented on the scalping, but he did share, on Facebook last year, an article titled, "Pope: The Bible Demands The Redistribution Of Wealth." Anyway, one seller is only asking for $50 per ticket!
Cardinal Timothy Dolan said, "Tickets for events with Pope Francis are distributed free for a reason - to enable as many New Yorkers as possible, including those of modest means, to be able to participate in the Holy Father’s visit to New York. To attempt to resell the tickets and profit from his time in New York goes against everything Pope Francis stands for."
Pope Francis has spoken out against the "idolatry of money," stating, "The worship of the ancient golden calf (cf. Ex 32:1-35) has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs alone: consumption."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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