About 20,000 police officers and soldiers provided security for papal events today, the Government said.

That, observers say, is because the papal events are more stage-managed, and the excitement has faded for a public familiar with papal visits.

But beyond the papal events, the concentration of fervent faithful was diluted by a pervasive ambivalence to church law.

The Church offered the public free access to all papal events.

Police officers and soldiers were deployed in huge numbers wherever the Pope went this evening, and no incidents occurred in the vicinity of papal events.

No government had previously canceled a papal event after the schedule for a visit had been agreed upon with local bishops and the Vatican.

When asked at papal events what they expected from the Pope, dozens of people simply responded, "Peace."

Vatican officials had been asked all week about the incongruity of having Mr. Reed take part in a solemn papal event.

Even blocks away from papal events, the men in light gray tunics were a highly visible presence, standing about in large numbers.

Although papal events and the texts that go with them are planned well in advance, the Pope has little fear of improvisations.