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TAMPA (FOX 13) - Local Catholics are reacting to people profiting from the upcoming Pope's visit to New York.
Pope Francis is going to be visiting the Big Apple in about a week. He will have a processional through Central Park September 25. Security will be tight, so the only way locals will be able to see him is with a ticket.
The Catholic Church and the City of New York held a lottery to give away 80,000 of them. While some ticket holders saw the event as a once in a lifetime opportunity, others saw the free tickets as a way to make a quick buck. They sold the tickets on Craig's List and eBay for up to $300 each.
"That's disappointing," Mike Quackenbush, a congregant at Christ the King Catholic Church in South Tampa said.
"I would think you would get a ticket to go see the Pope, to go see the Pope," Quackenbush said.
This, from a fellow Catholic.
"If you want to go see him (the Pope), great," commented Adam Brown. "If you can't, I don't think you should profit from it."
eBbay has banned ads. They seem to be occasionally still popping up on Craig's List.
Ticket sales have dropped off, but something else is up: bartering.
Some people who no longer plan on attending the processional, are trading them for something else, tickets to a mass that the Pope will hold at Madison Square.
They said they are not collecting monetary donations, out of fear of being ticketed, but rather, directing people to the www.homelesshhh.com to donate.