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WASHINGTON — When Pope Benedict XVI arrives for a six-day U.S. visit Tuesday, his every public move — from "Popemobile" motorcades to stadium Masses — will be choreographed according to an elaborate security plan that began taking shape when the trip was announced in September. Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley says U.S. and papal security authorities are trying to strike a delicate balance between the need for protection and the demand for public access, competing forces that are rarely a concern during visits by presidents and prime ministers. Tens of thousands of people are expected to line parade routes and flock to religious services to commemorate Benedict's first visit as pope to the USA. His stops in Washington and New York also will mark the first papal journey here since the 2001 terrorist attacks. His travels come after statements by Osama bin Laden last month that the pontiff has played a "large role" in a crusade against Islam. "We will alter and adapt to make sure our (security) plan is as strong as it can be," Wiley says. Former Secret Service agent Norm Jarvis, who helped coordinate security for Pope John Paul II's 1995 visit, says Benedict's movements will require a "more robust" effort to account for the heightened threat. "There is no real recipe for this kind of thing," Jarvis says. "The threat is dynamic. You do the best with the information that you have, but sometimes the show must go on." Washington Archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Gibbs says U.S. and papal security officials didn't balk, despite the elevated threat, when U.S. church officials appealed for the inclusion of public motorcades featuring the Popemobile, the Vatican's parade vehicle. There are 46,000 ticket-holders for an April 17 Mass at Washington's Nationals Park and more than 50,000 expected for the April 20 service at Yankee Stadium in New York. Thousands more wanted a chance to see the pope. There was so much demand, Gibbs says, that in late January the Vatican approved the motorcade plans.
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