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PARIS -- Police massed around the Eiffel Tower and spread throughout Paris yesterday, brought in by the busload to prepare for the arrival of Pope John Paul II.
The security deployment for the pope's four-day visit, which starts today, will be the largest in France since the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution in 1989.
"It is a huge security operation and the police department has been working on it for more than a year," Interior Minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement said.
Regular police, riot police, the army and firefighters are all taking part in the security operation, which culminates at a weekend Mass for about a half-million at a race track on the edge of Paris.
Police and soldiers patrolled the capital streets and suburban trains bringing in some of the estimated 220,000 young people congregating in Paris for an international youth festival, the occasion for the pope's visit.
Security was most visible near the Eiffel Tower, where many of the events are taking place, and along the Champs Elysees, where pilgrims competed with tourists for sidewalk space.
Chevenement appealed to his countrymen to be "nice" and show "good will" toward young pilgrims, who have taken to singing in crowded, stuffy subways and on the streets.
"We must show we are a country of tolerance. Everyone has to be able to express himself," he said.
Some lay groups have criticized the government for spending so much money on security, but Chevenement said it was needed to keep public order.
Staunch backers of separation of church and state have objected to the use of taxpayers' money for previous papal visits to France.
Police plan to close some streets in the city to regular traffic during the pope's visit, and access to events attended by the pope is limited.
To cut down on congestion and car fumes during the pope's visit, the Transport Ministry announced yesterday that subway fares would be halved today and Friday.
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