500,000 PEOPLE TO SEE POPE FRANCIS IN PHOENIX PARK

...but if a million turn up on the day, we’ll let them in, say gardaí

MORE than half a million people are expected at Pope Francis’s Mass in the Phoenix Park – but gardaí say they will be ready if a million turn up.

The long-awaited visit to Dublin was confirmed yesterday, as part of the World Meeting of Families, a six-day event held every three years in different countries.

The Pope, who is 81 years old, will arrive in Dublin on Saturday, August 25, and take part in the ‘Festival of Families’ concert in Croke Park, which will be attended by up to 75,000 people.

The next day, he will be the chief celebrant at an open-air Mass in the Phoenix Park, which will bring the World Meeting of Families to an end.

While full details of the Papal schedule have not yet been released, the gardaí

expect more than 500,000 people in Croke Park. A source said: ‘If more than a million people show up, every person will be allowed in. No-one will be turned away from seeing the Pope.

‘But we do not expect over one million people will want to attend the Mass, as they did in 1979. The Pope does not have the same draw. However, we will be prepared for the possibility,’ added the senior security source.

Another insider said: ‘Having over half a million people descend upon the Phoenix Park to see the Pope is a major security operation and will be a major headache. But all the necessary checks and security precautions will be taken to ensure it runs smoothly.’

A spokeswoman for the World Meeting of Families (WMOF) confirmed that free tickets will be available for the events in Croke Park and the Phoenix Park, but details of how and when they will be released will not be decided on for another six weeks.

The only way to ensure attendance before then is to buy a ticket for at least one day of the WMOF congress at the RDS, which cost €38. Three-day tickets cost €68, while children are free.

To date, 8,200 people have registered for the congress, with the bulk of these tickets – 5,000 – sold across 66 foreign countries, including France, Spain and the US. Over two-thirds of those who have already bought tickets have opted to attend all events.

The spokeswoman declined to estimate how many people would attend the Phoenix Park Mass but said organisers were not expecting

‘It will be a security headache’

it to reach the same levels as Pope John Paul II.

‘We do know that it’s not going to be anything like the numbers that were in the park in 1979, because of all sorts of restrictions that weren’t there in 1979 and mainly because of issues around health and safety and the movement of large numbers of people,’ she told the Irish Daily Mail. ‘We hope we will be able to accommodate anybody who wants to see Pope Francis at the closing Mass.’

Leo Varadkar welcomed news of the visit, saying: ‘I look forward to meeting him during his visit.’

The Taoiseach added: ‘While it is not a formal State visit, it will be a major event for Ireland, with a high degree of public participation and a high international profile.’

The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference said: ‘We are deeply honoured that Pope Francis will come to our country to participate in this universal Church celebration of faith and joy, as well as of the contemporary challenges which face families.’

Security sources say both events, but particularly the Phoenix Park, will require a ‘major Garda operation’ involving ‘hundreds’ of armed and unarmed gardaí, as well as bomb experts and sniffer dogs. Snipers will also be deployed.

It is estimated that the Garda security cost of the visit will likely top €1million. The Army will also be on standby and the Garda Mounted Unit will be patrolling both events, with Garda helicopters watching from the skies. And the Garda Underwater Unit will dive to ensure no explosives have been concealed in ponds throughout Phoenix Park, while Dublin Zoo will be thoroughly swept in an all-encompassing security check.

Metal detectors will be in situ, scanning those leaving and entering the parks. And ahead of each Papal address, an explosives sweep will be carried out, involving the bomb squad and sniffer dogs.

Specialist officers from the Liaison and Protection unit, based at Garda headquarters at Phoenix Park, are in talks with Vatican officials over security arrangements.

However, gardaí have not yet been told if a ‘Popemobile’ will be brought from Rome for the Pontiff to travel in. The Mail understands that a ‘close protection team’, of over 20 members of the Emergency Response Unit, will be in charge of the Pope’s day-to-day security.

These elite officers will be dressed in dark suits, have visible earpieces, and try to remain ‘low key’. However, they will be in ‘constant company’ with the Pope.

All drains will be welded shut in Croke Park and the Phoenix Park, and indeed on all public streets the Pope may visit or be driven along, to ensure criminals cannot place explosives underground.

Senior sources have also revealed that specialist gardaí tasked with monitoring the activities of anti-Catholic extremists, in the run-up to the visit, to see if anyone might try to attack the Pope.

An armoured car will also be available to the gardaí. A source said: ‘An Garda Síochána are well used to dealing with royal and high-profile political visits, such as [former US president Barack] Obama. But there is something a little different about a Papal visit because it is far rarer.’

With hundreds of thousands of people flocking to the capital to attend these events, this will have a knock-on impact for businesses. According to Graeme McQueen, Head of Public Affairs with the Dublin Chamber, the visit will be a major boost for the Dublin region, and poses a massive opportunity to promote the capital.

‘I think it’s really exciting for the city,’ he told the Mail. ‘It’s going to be a great showcase for Dublin, the eyes of the world are going to be on Dublin.’ However, he added that the Pope’s trip will pose some challenges for the city’s infrastructure, and will see some resources stretched to the maximum.

Mr McQueen also advised people hoping to attend the events to book accommodation as soon as possible, as severe demand will be put on the hospitality sector.