Rome, Italy—The city of Rome is preparing for a huge onslaught of visitors-- including hundreds of world leaders as well as millions of ordinary Catholics-- who are planning to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul II.

The top priority for city officials will be to ensure the safety of these guests, who are expected to number over 2 million. Toward that end, local officials are mobilizing 6,430 police officers from various jurisdictions. Of these, 5,000 will be responsible for maintaining public order, primarily around the Vatican. Most of the remainder will have more specific tasks involving the protection of visiting officials.

Anticipating crowds that will overflow the boundaries of St. Peter’s Square during the April 8 funeral, officials have already installed crowd-control barriers on the streets surrounding the Vatican, and along the full length of the Via della Concilizione, which runs from St. Peter’s Square to the Tiber River. Giant video screens are being set up along these streets, so that pilgrims will be able to follow the ceremony from a distance.

More than 200 heads of state or heads of government are expected to attend the Friday funeral. Their presence has prompted officials to take security precautions that will be unprecedented even for the Vatican, where officials have been keenly aware of terrorist threats for several years. Many of the roads near the Vatican will be closed to traffic on the morning of the funeral; no airplanes will be allowed to fly over the city during the ceremonies.

Special schedules are being drawn up for public transportation. Railway stations will be open 24 hours a day; subway service will be extended for at least 2 hours each night, and possibly longer. Convoys of buses are being arranged, and city traffic officials are establishing a staggered schedule in which buses from different regions will be allowed into the city at different specified hours.

At Tor Vergata, the site just outside Rome where millions of young people gathered for World Youth Day in 2000, camping facilities are being set up to accommodate pilgrims. Elsewhere around Rome, rooms are being prepared in inns, hostels, and private homes. The city’s hotels are already full booked; many hotels had taken reservations from media figures and public officials, who had booked rooms in advance for the days following the Pope’s death.

City officials are setting up 15 medical centers, staffed by 600 doctors, for the coming week; there will be 200 ambulances on call. Most of these temporary clinics will be located near the Vatican, although others will be placed near train stations, around the old Olympic stadium, and at Tor Vergata. More than 5,000 volunteers have been recruited to help distribute water bottles to the pilgrims, who are likely to spend long hours in the sun.

Throughout Italy, a 3-day period of mourning has been observed, beginning on Sunday, April 2. The day of the Pope’s funeral will also be an official day of mourning; flags at all public buildings are flying at half-mast. In Italian public schools there will be a minute of silence as the funeral begins. The city of Rome has suspended all public shows-- from musical concerts to theatrical performances-- during the days of mourning.