NEW YORK (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI's three days in New York pose logistical challenges beyond making sure that he's safe. Among other things, organizers had to widen some footpaths for the popemobile, figure out how to distribute Holy Communion to 57,000 people and teach schoolkids to sing ``Happy Birthday'' in German.
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. So the Yankees need to keep it in good shape and we've been most respectful of that.''
Benedict arrives in Washington on Tuesday, his first visit as pope to the United States. He'll become the second pope to visit the White House when he meets President Bush. He'll celebrate Mass at Nationals Park, meet with the nation's bishops and speak about the importance of Catholic education. His 81st birthday falls on Wednesday.
The pope comes 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. His third anniversary as pope falls on Saturday.
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 criticized 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. His secured, see-through 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,'' Kelly said. ``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. Bar-coded tickets will be scanned, identities will be checked against a huge manifest and attendees will walk through metal detectors.
But there will be plenty going on for the early arrivals. Entertainers including Kelly Clarkson, Jose Feliciano and the Irish tenor Ronan Tynan have been booked, and Harry Connick Jr. has written an original work in the pope's honor to be performed at Yankee Stadium.
The stadium Masses are the biggest events of the trip. In Washington on Thursday, 46,000 people will attend and 300 priests will officiate. In New York next Sunday, there will be 800 priests, bishops and cardinals on the huge altar and 550 priests in the stands for a ``carefully choreographed'' distribution of Communion, Ackermann said.
Friday's schedule includes Benedict's address to the United Nations and meetings with non-Catholic religious leaders, including his first visit to a U.S. synagogue just hours before the start of Passover.
The pope's Saturday morning Mass at St. Patrick's _ surprisingly the first ever celebrated there by a pope _ is restricted to priests, deacons and members of religious orders, and every diocese in the country is sending someone, Ackermann said.
Sean Baker of Patrick Baker & Sons in Fairfield, Conn., says his church-goods company has been designing special candles, regilding chalices and arranging for commemorative vestments for the priests attending the service, just as it did in 1995.
The public will be able to watch the Mass on giant screens outside the cathedral and get a glimpse of the pope afterward as he drives up Fifth Avenue to the Vatican diplomatic residence on East 72nd Street, where he is spending his nights.
St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers is playing host to back-to-back events later Saturday, one likely to be quietly moving and one raucous. When he arrives, Benedict will meet with 50 disabled children and their caregivers in the chapel.
``There will be a brief prayer service, a welcome from one of the children, and then the Holy Father will personally visit with each of the children,'' Ackermann said. When a children's choir sings during the ceremony, another choir of deaf children will interpret in sign language.
The outdoor rally that follows is for more than 22,000 youngsters with ties to Catholic parishes, plus about 2,400 seminarians from around the country. For security reasons, many in the audience will be there 4{ hours before the pope arrives.
``We really need to keep them busy from 12 noon to 4:30 p.m.,'' said Bishop Gerald Walsh, rector of the seminary.
So there will be plenty of youth-oriented entertainment through the afternoon, from high school bands to ``American Idol'' tour members. Vendors will be selling Pope Benedict hats, t-shirts and rosary beads. Benches along the paths _ the ones widened for the popemobile _ will be used as confessionals. Between musical acts, there will be brief presentations on marriage, chastity, family values and the priesthood.
Ponchos will be available in case of rain.
Once the pope arrives, the kids will sing ``Zum Geburtstag viel Gluck'' _ ``Happy Birthday'' in German _ and he'll be presented with the skateboard that won an archdiocesan design contest.
The pope will speak to the youngsters, a prayer service will follow and Clarkson will sing ``Ave Maria.''
On his last day in America, before the Yankee Stadium Mass, the pope plans a visit to Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center buildings fell under terrorist attack in 2001. With him will be three survivors of the attack and a fourth from the same-day attack on the Pentagon; 16 relatives of the dead; and a representative from each of the NYPD, the Fire Department, the Emergency Medical Services and the Port Authority police.
``It will probably be one of the most poignant moments of the trip,'' Ackermann said.
Papal Visit 2008
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