NEW YORK — More than 30 tickets that people tried to sell on Craigslist to see Pope Francis during his upcoming visit to the United States have been taken down, according to the mayor's office.
Although the tickets that people received to see the pope at his procession through Central Park were free, that has not stopped some winners from trying to sell them online, a move that has drawn condemnation from officials including Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who called the action "troubling" and "disgusting" at a Sept. 14 press conference.
"No one should buy such a ticket," de Blasio said. "It’s just absolutely inconsistent with everything that this pope stands for."
He added that the city was working with outlets like eBay and Craigslist to try stopping these types of sales, and that both companies had been very helpful.
However, several tickets for the Central Park procession are still up for sale on Craigslist.
One person is trying to sell four of them for $200 apiece, for instance, while another hopes to sell two of them for $750.
Another ticket holder took a different approach, writing that he would not be selling his tickets, but he would be trading them for tickets to see the Jets or Giants.
"In exchange for Pope Central Park Procession tickets available in my name, we will accept exchange for two Jets or Giants tickets," the post reads. "In that I have no interest on selling the Pope tickets, an even trade is the way to go."
And if anyone loves Roman Catholicism and sitcoms from the 90s in equal measure, one ticket holder has asked people for a box set of seasons one through three of "Seinfeld" in exchange for a ticket to see the pope.
"What goes better with the Pope than Seinfeld? Nothing!" the post reads. "It's gold Jerry, gold."
