Protecting Francis was not so easy.

In 2009, Joseph P. Clancy discovered how difficult it is to guard a person to whom numerous enthusiastic fans are trying to get, notes The New York Times. Clancy and his colleagues in the US Secret Service provided security for Obama's inauguration, explain journalists Michael S. Schmidt and Jim Yardley. But then people behaved more timidly compared to what Clancy saw this year in the Vatican. Pope Francis and his bodyguards made their way through the cheering crowd.

Clancy, now the director of the United States Secret Service, and his colleagues went to the Vatican to see how the Pope communicates with the audience and discuss with his guard how to ensure the safety of Francis during his visit to the United States.

“The crowd is always throwing something,” Clancy said in an interview. “They throw flags and dolls in the direction of dad and, you know, they hold out small children to him. It's difficult to work with because we don't want our employees to overreact. He also wouldn’t want to see too much of a reaction, but at the same time we shouldn’t miss anything.”

Tuesday francis arrived in USA with a six day visit. It is expected that hundreds of thousands of people will come to meet him. Therefore, an almost record number of peace officers in American history has been brought to protection.

The Pope's assistants insisted that Francis needed the opportunity to stop at any moment, get out of the convoy and chat with people on the street. Francis seeks to make the Roman Catholic Church more open and welcoming, refuses formalities, and speaks with strangers on the phone or in person. He allows himself much greater freedom of movement than his predecessors.

For their part, the US authorities took a number of non-standard measures to protect Francis.

“Special spacious “corrals” are being built along the route of the papal cortege for spectators, who will be searched at the entrance: do they have weapons or explosives? It is forbidden to approach the Pope with monopods (tripods for selfies - editor's note),” the article says.

In New York at the time of the Pope’s visit will ban use drones, and in some areas will stop working mail. In Washington, record congestion is expected, and many officials were told to work at home.

“When I drive down the street, I roll down the window so I can stick my hand out and greet people,” the Pope said in a television interview in Brazil, where he visited in 2013. “It’s either everything or nothing.” Either you travel the way you’re supposed to, interacting with people, or you shouldn’t travel at all.” But Francis also apologized to security agencies in Brazil and the Vatican, who complained that his freestyle communication style was making their work more difficult.

“They all know: it’s not because I want to be a naughty child,” he noted, “but because I go to people and want to treat them like humans, touch their hands.”