Apr 22, 2005 1:50 pm US/Eastern
Rome Preps For Installation Mass
Security Tight For Outdoor Ceremony
ROME (AP) ―
Rome is gearing up for the installation of Pope Benedict XVI—an outdoor Mass in St. Peter's Square on Sunday expected to draw hundreds of dignitaries and half a million faithful, including about 100,000 people from the pontiff's native Germany.
Although the influx of 3 million pilgrims who packed the city in the aftermath of John Paul II's death will dwarf Sunday's gathering, the anticipated crowd is prompting officials to put in place a very tight security plan.
"Rome is preparing for another extraordinary challenge," Mayor Walter Veltroni said Friday. "The success of the plans implemented in the past weeks, in even more difficult conditions than the current ones, encourages us."
Benedict was elected Tuesday in one of the shortest conclaves in a century. Hundreds of VIPs are expected at the Vatican for his inauguration—including presidents, prime ministers, royals and religious leaders.
An anti-missile system will be in place to defend the skies, along with fighter jets, helicopters and an AWACS surveillance plane deployed by NATO at the request of Italian authorities.
Air space within a five-mile radius will be closed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ciampino Airport, used for both civilian and military flights and by many low-cost airlines, will be shut down starting at midday Saturday until Sunday afternoon. Traffic at Rome's main Leonardo Da Vinci Airport should not be affected.
The Italian newspaper Il Messaggero said this week that 10,000 police would be deployed across Rome to guarantee security.
Most of the estimated 500,000 pilgrims are expected to arrive Saturday night or before dawn Sunday, just a few hours before the Mass starts at 10 a.m., said Guido Bertolaso, the head of the Civil Protection Department.
About 100,000 people will travel from Benedict's native Germany, and Rome was preparing to receive them by importing German-speaking volunteers from Italy's German-speaking north.
Officials were planning to set up giant screens in the Vatican area to allow pilgrims who can't get into St. Peter's Square to follow the ceremony. The city was also preparing water, medical assistance and buses to shuttle between the main train station and the Vatican. Parking lots are being readied on the outskirts of the city.
Rome won praise for the way it handled the unprecedented crowds who came to mourn John Paul, who died April 2. Officials were confident the measures would work again.
"We are tranquil," Bertolaso said, but added: "It's a very important event, and we should not play it down."
Streets around St. Peter's will be cordoned off to traffic during the ceremony, but the city was not expected to be locked down completely as was the case during John Paul's funeral, when schools and businesses closed and cars were banned from the streets for most of the day.
(© 2005 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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