My husband and I attended mass inside St. Peters in October 2006. Advise: get there early to get through security; apply for the Scavi Tour and go right into St. Peters when you are through; be flexible – the mass we attended was in Italian, and we only speak English. Wednesdays the Pope holds a general audience that is free to the public but you will need to get a ticket; ask the Swiss Guards where to get your ticket. We got there about an hour early and sat within 100 yards of the Pope!