Pope's Blessing and St. Peter's Basilica

We will be on a tour with RIL-Rome Highlights on a Sunday in Rome. The pope will be blessing everyone on that day, so I just learned the basilica

will be closed until after the blessing. Does anyone know how long a wait

there could be to get into the basilica on a Sunday once it opens? Does anyone know if there are guides that can be hired just for the basilica so that we can avoid the lines? Thanks for your help!

First, the only line to get in to the Basilica is for the security screening and everyone has to go through that. The line, if there is one, generally moves pretty quickly.

The Sunday Papal blessing is from the Pope's apartment area down to the crowd. I was not aware that they closed the Basilica for this. They do close the Basilica for the Wednesday morning audience if the Papal audience is out in the piazza, but that is because the dais is on the main steps for the Basilica and the piazza is full of chairs. I don't think the Sundy blessing takes very long at all.

First, the only line to get in to the Basilica is for the security screening and everyone has to go through that. The line, if there is one, generally moves pretty quickly.

 

The Sund.ay Papal blessing is from the Pope's apartment area down to the crowd. I was not aware that they closed the Basilica for this. They do close the Basilica for the Wednesday morning audience if the Papal audience is out in the piazza, but that is because the dais is on the main steps for the Basilica and the piazza is full of chairs. I don't think the Sundy blessing takes very long at all.

Well, maybe my source was wrong. Maybe the Basilica is not closed since the Pope is doing the blessing from the window. I hope it is not closed!:)

The basilica is not closed on Sundays - it's the highest and biggest Roman Catholic church in the world and there are masses going on all morning on Sundays (at 9, 10:30, 11:30, and 12:15, as well as 1 PM, 4 PM and 5:30 PM).

The basilica is not closed on Sundays - it's the highest and biggest Roman Catholic church in the world and there are masses going on all morning on Sundays (at 9, 10:30, 11:30, and 12:15, as well as 1 PM, 4 PM and 5:30 PM).

Thank you for the information. Of course, there are masses! So, are there long lines to get into the Basilica on Sunday?

It's been years since I was there on a Sunday and I really don't remember if there was a line or not. I'm sure someone with more recent experience will let us know.