On 18 January 2015, people gathered from the previous night in Manila's Rizal Park to wait for Pope Francis's outdoor Mass. Police established two layers of security checks at an entrance and planned to open the gates at 6 a.m., but opened earlier to relieve pressure. Reuters documented people waiting in the rain, while organizers expected as many as six million attendees.
The relevant order came before Communion itself: it governed safe admission to an immense place of worship. A religious event drew participants toward one purpose, but its entrances depended on secular mechanisms of searches, barriers and police direction. Arriving early also became a way to obtain a position closer to the altar.
Jostling occurred and several people suffered minor injuries. Describing only the spectacle of mass devotion would hide the burden carried by those waiting. The lines and security checks show how carefully an entrance to worship must be managed when millions of people seek the same place at the same time.