Media release
More than 8,000 Australians are expected to be in Rome to witness the canonisation of
Blessed Mary MacKillop in St Peter's Square, Vatican City, on 17 October 2010.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is putting in place a range of services to provide
advice to Australians who are travelling to Rome for the ceremony.
Australia's Ambassador to the Holy See, Tim Fischer, will be sending daily Tweets in the
leadup to the canonisation ceremony, starting on 10 September. Follow him at twitter.com/MacKillop2010AU.
A special travel bulletin on the Canonisation ceremony is available on DFAT's Smartraveller website (www.smartraveller.gov.au). This bulletin supplements information in our overall travel advice for Australian visitors to Italy, which can also be found on the Smartraveller site.
Apart from visiting Smartraveller, we also encourage Australians who are planning to travel overseas to:
- register their travel details on-line and subscribe to get free updates of the travel advice while they are away; and
- organise comprehensive travel insurance before heading overseas.
On the ground, Australians should be aware that the Australian Embassy to Italy in Rome is responsible for providing consular assistance to visitors to both the Holy See and Italy.
Media inquiries
- DFAT Media Liaison: 02 6261 1555