Pope recalls Polish saint, warns against fraudulent charges to papal audiences
January 12, 2017
At the conclusion of his January 11 general audience, Pope Francis paid tribute to St. Albert Chmielowski, a Polish Third Order Franciscan who died on Christmas Day in 1916.
In 1949, the future Pope St. John Paul II wrote Our God’s Brother, a play about the saint.
“In the Church of Poland, this year is dedicated to Brother Albert Chmielowski, on the centenary of his death,” Pope Francis said. “Following the example of this great saint of mercy, brother and defender of the homeless, the poor and the marginalized, let us take love, charity and hope to all those who are in need.”
The Pope also warned the faithful against those who fraudulently sell tickets to papal audiences:
Now I have to tell you something I would not like to say, but I must … You do not pay to enter the audience, both in the Hall and in the Square; it is a free visit that one makes to the Pope in order to speak with the Pope, with the bishop of Rome.
But I know that there are tricksters who make people pay for the tickets. If someone tells you that you need to pay to attend an audience with the Pope, it is a con. Be careful! Entry is free of charge.
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