Most Wednesday mornings, the Holy Father gives a General Audience. All pilgrims who are in Rome and would like the opportunity to see and pray with the Holy Father are welcome to participate. The Audiences are normally held in St. Peter’s Square, which can hold about 10,000 pilgrims. During the very warm summer and cold winter months, the Audiences are moved indoors to he Paul VI Audience Hall, which can hold about 6,000 pilgrims. Please note that there are generally no Audiences during the month of July and on big Solemnities when the Holy Father is instead celebrating a public Mass. Because of the limited number of places, tickets are required to attend the Papal audience, but these tickets are always entirely free.

The Papal Audience is not a Mass, but rather a time of catechesis and prayer. Usually, it begins with a short reading from Sacred Scripture. After that, the Holy Father gives a homily based on the reading. When the Holy Father has finished his speech, shorter summaries of what he said are offered in eight major languages. The Audience then concludes with the Holy Father giving his Apostolic Blessing to all pilgrims who are present of following the Audience through social media. Following the Audience, some pilgrims might also have the opportunity to greet the Holy Father personally.