![Pope Francis Holds an Audience For Ministrantes VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - AUGUST 04: Pope Francis poses for a selfie as he arrives in St. Peter's Square for an audience with thousands of altar servers from around Europe on August 4, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. The encounter was part of the ninth International Pilgrimage of Acolytes and Altar Servers. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images)](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/pope-selfie.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
By Sarah Begley
Pilgrims to Pope Francis’s D.C. visit will not be able to snap the perfect photo with a selfie stick: the oft-maligned devices have been banned from papal events in the capitol.
The Secret Service included selfie sticks in a list of prohibited items for the pope’s appearances in Washington, D.C.; the ban was also included in earlier announcements for his events in New York City and Philadelphia. The list of forbidden items includes a few obvious choices (weapons, explosives, mace) and some more benign ones (bicycles and balloons).
Pope Francis arrives in Washington on Sept. 22; he travels to New York on Sept. 24, then to Philadelphia on Sept. 26.
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