WASHINGTON -- Arkansans have started to claim the hundreds of tickets available to watch Pope Francis' address to Congress later this month, but several members of Arkansas' congressional delegation have some left.
About two-thirds of the more than 600 tickets allotted to Arkansas' all-Republican delegation are still available for the Sept. 24 speech, the first time a pontiff has addressed Congress.
As is the case for the president's annual State of the Union address, each member of the U.S. House and Senate can invite one guest to sit in the House of Representatives gallery to see the pope's address. Most of those tickets were claimed quickly by relatives or friends of the delegation members.
In a nation with tens of millions of Catholics, lawmakers expected interest in the pope's visit to be high. So more than 42,000 standing-room tickets were made available to watch the pope's remarks on a giant screen outside the Capitol on the West Front Lawn, the spot where crowds gather every four years to watch presidential inaugurations.
Pope Francis is to briefly appear on a Capitol balcony and, if there is time, address the crowd.
House members were each allotted 50 tickets for outside the Capitol, and senators received 200. There is also a handful of tickets available for seats outside and for an indoor overflow room.
U.S. Sen. John Boozman, R-Ark., has about 150 tickets left, his spokesman, Patrick Creamer, said.
"There's still time if people want to make a last-minute trip up, and there is still time if they want to request [tickets]," Creamer said. "It's a unique opportunity to be out there. You might have to watch it on the Jumbotron, the speech itself, but you might be able to see him if you have an unobstructed view when he comes out on the balcony."
Boozman's daughter, Lauren Boozman Northey, will be his guest in the House gallery, Creamer said.
U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., still hasn't decided who will get his gallery seat, spokesman Caroline Rabbitt said. About 25 of the 200 outdoor tickets have been claimed, she said.
"As the visit gets closer interest has picked up, and we've received more phone calls and emails," Rabbitt said. "Tickets will be available until we run out of them."
People in the state's 1st Congressional District snatched up the outdoor tickets allotted to U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., spokesman James Arnold said. He has only seven of 50 left.
Arnold said requests were "evenly distributed, though sparsely, throughout 1st District towns."
U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., has found takers for all but eight of his outdoor tickets so far, spokesman Mike Siegel said. Most tickets are going to groups traveling from Little Rock and North Little Rock.
The congressman, who is the only Catholic member of the state's congressional delegation, hasn't decided who will get to watch the pope address Congress from the House gallery, Siegel said.
U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., has had requests for 15 tickets, his spokesman, Claire Burghoff, said. The congressman from Northwest Arkansas is accepting ticket requests until Wednesday. Arkansans in his 3rd Congressional District will get top priority, but Arkansans across the state can include their names in a lottery for any remaining tickets, she said.
"Once we hit the ticket-request deadline, we'll circle with all of the other [Arkansas lawmakers'] offices to ensure we don't have duplicate requests ... to ensure all Arkansans who want tickets can get them," she said.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., has had 15 requests for tickets so far, with only seven coming from residents of his south Arkansas district, spokesman Ryan Saylor said.
"The number of requests is still small, especially from constituents. But it has picked up," he said.
Arkansans who want tickets can call the offices of Boozman at (202) 224-4843, Cotton at (202) 224-2353, Hill at (202) 225-2506, Westerman at (202) 225-3772, Crawford at (202) 225-4076 and Womack at (202) 225-4301.
Thousands are expected to visit Washington during the pope's visit.
More than 25,000 tickets were issued for the Junipero Serra Canonization Mass to be held outside the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The Mass will be celebrated in Spanish and broadcast around the city on screens.
Most of the pope's scheduled events, including his meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House, aren't open to the public. Parts of the city will be shut down as he moves from place to place during his visit.
Last week, the federal office of personnel management urged agencies to allow federal employees to work from home or take vacation time while the pope is in Washington to avoid "significant commuting delays and travel disruptions."
Pope Francis' other stops are expected to draw even larger crowds, especially his scheduled Masses at the 19,000-seat Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sept. 25 and at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia on Sept. 26 and 27.
The World Meeting of Families Congress organizers told the Philadelphia Inquirer that they expect more than 1.5 million people to attend the outdoor papal Mass on Sept. 27.
Researchers at Georgetown University in Washington estimate that there are 79.7 million Catholics in the United States.
Metro on 09/06/2015