Security for Papal visit will be ‘tight’

Press, 1 July 1986, Page 5

Security for Papal visit will be ‘tight’

Security for the Papal visit to New Zealand in November would be “tight,” said the director of the New Zealand Police support services, and the national police planning officer for the visit, Superintendent Brian Daw, in Wellington, yesterday. Police planning for the visit was well under way and because of the high profile of the Pope, would entail a high level of security. No details of security arrangements would be released, but the visit would be treated in much the same way as a Royal tour, said Mr Daw.

The Pope’s known tendency for “spontaneous” digressions within the confines of his walkabouts would also be taken into account, he said. A senior Vatican official, the Rev. Roberto Tucci, who with an advance party visited New Zealand earlier last month, had been pleased with the security arrangements, said Mr Daw. It was the responsibility of the New Zealand police to protect the Pope as a head of State and as a guest of the New Zealand Government, he said. Plans for the Papal visit to New Zealand in November have met with tentative approval from Father Tucci, although the organisers of the Papal visit had yet to

receive formal approval for the plans from the Pope, said the director of Catholic Communications, the Rev. Jim Lyons. Father Tucci had been happy with the arrangements and had suggested only "cosmetic” changes, said Father Lyons.

Father Tucci has accompanied the Pope on nearly all his overseas visits, and is now in charge of a fleeting Papal visit to Colombia.

Father Lyons said the changes Father Tucci had suggested were minimal and he would be surprised if the revised programme was not approved.

In Christchurch the organisers were “scratching for extra minutes,” said the Christchurch news media communicator for the visit, Mr Bernard Smyth.

Both the ecumenical service and the outdoor Mass would still be held, said Mr Smyth. Any changes Father Tucci had suggested here were minor and were con-

cerned mainly with saving time in case the Pope stopped for longer chats with people than was planned on the itinerary. The Pope would be in Christchurch for only five hours and would attend two services. Travelling time to and from the airport and between venues also had to be accounted for. “We have heard that he is quite capable of upsetting arrangements by stopping the car and getting out to speak with people,” said Mr Smyth. The Pope had a special affinity for the sick, elderly and young, he said.