The countdown has begun in Switzerland for the arrival of the Holy Father, who is due to celebrate an open-air mass for the first national meeting of Catholic youth in the Grossen Allmend park, in Bern, on Sunday 6 June. Meanwhile work is busily proceeding on the erection of the huge dais. It’s a construction covering 800 square metres, with a length of 54 metres. Over the roof 18 metres high will rise a 4-metre-high dove, chosen as the symbol of the meeting. The work of construction and installation of significant measures of protection for the Allmend park area will begin next week, explains a statement put out by the Swiss bishops in recent days. The organizers of the event in fact attach a lot of importance to safeguarding the natural environment during the meeting; the grass has been specially treated to strengthen its growth in recent weeks. Also to protect the grass, a layer of sand some 4 millimetres thick will be spread over a surface of 85,000 square metres from 28 May onwards: a total of 450 cubic metres of sand will be used in this operation. Then, on 1 and 2 June, 52,000 hexapro pavement slabs will be laid; it’s the second largest quantity every used in Switzerland. The costs of these preventive measures will be of the order of a quarter of a million Swiss francs. A further quarter million is estimated for measures of cleaning up and refurbishment after the event. Important measures are also being taken by the police forces of Bern, of the canton and of the Swiss Confederation to ensure that the event takes place in full security. Former Swiss Guards, on the other hand, will provide the security service within the meeting.
