NEW YORK (AP) — New York officials have joined Cardinal Timothy Dolan in condemning the scalping of tickets to see Pope Francis’ motorcade during his upcoming visit to New York City.
About 80,000 tickets were dispersed through a city-sponsored lottery system for the pope’s Sept. 25 procession through Central Park.
Tickets were being sold on secondary markets such as eBay and Craigslist for thousands of dollars soon after lottery winners were notified.
Archbishop Dolan said the tickets were free for a reason — to give as many people as possible the chance to participate in the pope’s visit, including those with “modest means.”
State Sen. Daniel Squadron said the ticket scalping is in direct conflict with the spiritual leader’s message.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, commended eBay’s decision to ban pope event tickets.
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