Cardinal Timothy Dolan, state officials condemn scalping of free papal visit tickets

Cardinal Timothy Dolan and several New York elected officials condemned those who are making a quick buck by selling free tickets for events during the papal visit.

The Archdiocese of New York and the city awarded 40,000 city residents two tickets each to view Pope Francis' motorcade through Central Park, and parishes sent out tickets for his Mass at Madison Square Garden on Sept. 25. However, since Friday, there have been reports of the tickets being sold on sites such as eBay and Craigslist for as much as $200, according to Dolan.

"To attempt to resell the tickets and profit from his time in New York goes against everything Pope Francis stands for," the cardinal said in a statement.

Dolan joined Sen. Chuck Schumer, state Sen. Daniel Squadron (D-Brooklyn) and Assemb. Michael Cusick (D-Staten Island) to find ways to curb the scalping. eBay announced it would take down sale pages for papal tickets, according to Schumer, and he wants other sites to do the same.

"My message to anyone thinking about doing that is to look deep into your heart. If you have a ticket you can't use, do the right thing and let the office who gave it to you know," he said in a statement.

Squadron and Cusick both pushed for the passage of a state bill that would prohibit "the practice of reselling tickets for more than their face value for charity or not-for-profit events."

"Profiting off events during the Papal visit is in direct contradiction to his message of compassion and care for all, and this practice should end immediately," Cusick said in a statement.