Yankees keen to keep Benedict off grass
Among other things, organisers had to widen some footpaths for the popemobile, figure out how to distribute Holy Communion to 57,000 people and teach schoolchildren to sing Happy Birthday in German. He turns 81 today.
They also had to promise to keep the Pope and everybody else off the grass at Yankee Stadium.
‘‘The Yankees had only one request, and that is that we not touch their grass,’’ said Mark Ackermann, who is running the office of the papal visit for the New York archdiocese.
‘‘The All-Star game will be there this year and of course we’re all confident that the World Series will be there as well.’’
Benedict arrived in Washington last night, his first visit as Pope to the US. He will visit the White House, celebrate mass at Nationals Park and address US bishops about the importance of Catholic education.
The Pope travels to New York on Friday. Besides the Yankee Stadium mass, the pontiff’s schedule includes another mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral, a speech at the United Nations, a visit to Ground Zero and a rally for more than 22,000 young people.
In both cities, Benedict will be tightly guarded by agents from the Secret Service, local police forces and the bodyguards he brings from Vatican City.
New York police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, noting that Osama bin Laden has recently criticised the Pope, said his force will be using vehicle checkpoints, helicopters, boats, divers, dogs, horses and radiation detectors besides the ‘‘highly visible’’ uniformed presence of thousands of officers. At times, flight restrictions will be in effect overhead.
Security is considerably tighter than for the previous papal visit, by John Paul II in 1995. Benedict’s secure popemobile is supposed to stay closed throughout, and a repeat of John Paul’s block-long stroll in Manhattan seems unlikely.
‘‘Obviously the world has changed,’’ said Kelly. ‘‘It’s a post 9-11 event.”
For the people lucky enough to get tickets to public events — nearly half a million applied in both cities — security means arriving hours before the Pope does. Barcoded tickets will be scanned, identities will be checked against a huge manifest and attendees will walk through metal detectors.
