. the papal blizzard soon slams into philadelphia. a chance to finally see pope francis. now some fear that extra tight security will keep the pontiff too far from his flock. has the city gone overboard or are threats more real than we realized. that, plus a look at the pope's message while he's here. is he the political liberal some have suggested or a leader who has no intention of changing church doctrine. good morning, i'm rosemary connors for "nbc10 @issue." it's wheels down on saturday when pope francis finally lands in philadelphia and law

enforcement isn't taking any chances when it comes to security. recently the fbi foiled an alleged plot to harm the pope, arresting a new jersey teenager. before that the chair of the homeland security committee revealed threats against the pontiff are real. joining me now is security expert matthew, chief security officer for fjc securities. matthew managed national and international investigations while working for the u.s. department of justice. he also served as the special agent in charge of the newark office of the atf. thank you for being with us. >> good morning. >> boxed off areas, metal detectors. a lot of people have been talking about. former governor ed rendell said recently it boggles the mind, his words, because the pope has visited really dangerous countries without this much security. so, is it overkill? >> no, i think we have to take these visits extremely

seriously. the secret service does, the government does. as you know, this is a national special security event. the resources that are being mobilized for this aren't like any that have been mobilized in quite some time. with the ooun general assembly just completing up in new york, with the pope's visit here, cuba and new york city, all boots are on the ground to make sure that he's safe, that the venues are safe and that the public is safe. >> does this recent arrest of the teen in new jersey, does this make those threats, the risk that more real? >> we hear about the arrest, but you may not hear about all the other work that's done by the fbi and intelligence agencies to mitigate risks, and so there are people that have made threats in the past or very recently. the only ones you hear about are the once that result in arrests. the public doesn't hear about all the threats that come in that are investigated by the federal government. >> and rouled out. >> or are in play.

a lot of people mentioned the fence, say lot of people think it's overkill. can it backfire with crowd control? >> i think in terms of being security practitioners, we have to look at it like this. we can only control what we manage and we can only manage what we allow access to. we don't want to allow a situation where we have unwielding crowd and access, so we have to control access in an environment like this. >> what's going -- i mean, you touched on this to some extent but what's going on behind the scenes that we're not seeing and that may surprise us? >> well, there's a lot of planning that goes into place, months and years for visits like this. there's the strategic and tactical planning, the pennsylvania state police and philadelphia police. there's the government planning, secret service, following up on every threat, every lead, determining who's made threats against the pope in the past or other government leaders in the past, who's recently incarcerated and let out of jail who's done this, who may have purchased a large amount of

weapons or explosives. it all goes into play, evaluating intelligence behind the scenes. while everyone is watching the movement of the pope, there are people who are watching who might be interested in creating disruption or harming the pope. >> the people you just mentioned, people who may have been in jail, people who may have made threats against the pope in the past, people who may have purchased large amounts of firearms or explosives, things of that nature. these are people who are taking public actions. what about lone wolf attacks, people who may not be out there publicly, but may be planning something. >> well, certainly what we've seen over the past several months in the united states, every two weeks, every three weeks, a lone wolf attack, an active shooter incident. security and law enforcement,ist about making sure we understand the unknown. so, we have the combination of evaluating actionable intelligence, following up leads that we have and trying to anticipate what we don't even know. that requires very harsh

measures. unfortunately, the public is inconvenienced by the security countermeasures put into play. >> how difficult is it to try to prevent these kind of lone wolf attacks. >> it's very challenging because you don't know what you don't know. what we spend our time evaluating the information we do have, there's always that thing that we didn't anticipate. so, in this case, again, the largest mobilization of resources that probably the u.s. has ever seen between the federal government, state and local, the military, plans have been put into place, vulnerability assessments as to real time, maritime threats, aviation threats, drones, restricting air space, transportation subways, buses, we're evaluating everything to make sure that those who attend have a good experience, the pope gets in and out without issue. >> no stone unturned. >> there can't be any stones unturned for something like this. >> you mention state police, philadelphia police, secret

service. talk about the collaboration between those groups. >> the secret service takes the lead in the broad scope but requires a lot of coordination and collaboration between all the law enforcement agencies that are available. every one brings different resources to bear. tactical teams at the ready pp, explosive mitigation, explosive people from the fbi and the atf. the u.s. department of state, the united states marshal service, state police, philadelphia police, transit police, everyone will come together in playing a role and ensuring this goes off without a hitch. next visit, new york city. >> matthew horace with fjc security. >> have a great day. >> appreciate it. >> next on "nbc10 @issue," interpreting the pope's message. some insight into what his words really mean and what other religious leaders from other faiths hope to hear from francis.

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as we prepare for pope francis later this week, many are excited to see a world leader who has inspired people across all walks of life to come together. with me now is father daniel joyce, executive director of mission programs although st. joseph's university. thanks for being here. the pope's visit comes on the heels two of major announcements in the catholic church. the first allowing priest sxens couraging priests to forgive women who have had abortions. the second, making the process of annulling a marriage, having an annulment more streamlined and less expensive. wh >> it seems those announcements were, again, not changing any church teaching but offering the folks a way in which the church

can allow for the processes of the church, the way church law works, to play itself out in a way that is more helpful to folks. it was not only an announcement on the abortions, but he said reaching out toer to give the sins of those who separated themselves from the church. that was more of an outreach to folks who have more traditional reasons have decided to break away from the catholic church. it was an outreach to a variety of people on his part. >> and it seems like this is obviously in line with his message since he became pope to include and bring people back to the church. >> absolutely. yeah, i think he sees his mandate from the kad naturals who elected him as pope to really extend the church to where it needs to be and for those who are connected to it and not connected to it. it's a sharing of the good news and that's why his emphasis is on this gospel of joy, that is good news, for everybody. in a variety of ways. >> many catholics see francis as a progressive leader.

you touched on this to some extent. how much change can he really effect in terms of church doctrine? and does it really matter. >> he has a reputation for not changing and being somewhat of a conservative regarding church teaching but his gestures as to how we can be as a church tend to have a great impact on people and it's always a message of mercy, compassion, openness that he's constant and consistent about. >> this is the basis of the catholic and christian faith. >> absolutely. this is the message of jesus christ that this openness to reach across boundaries to engage people. he calls calls it an expression of inclusion and encounter. he's big on the world encounter and follows it up with inclusion. >> people see these gestures as big leaps, big jumps for the catholic church, but you say in terms of catholic teaching, nothing is going to change. >> no, nothing has changed.

i think his style of being the bishop of rome, the pope, is a little less formal than previous popes so his reactions tend to be a human reaction. he's an extremely good listener so he's very good at hearing what people say and taking what they say as part of his response to them. >> in terms of his visit here, what kind of social issues do you think he might focus on during his speeches? specifically the homily during sunday's mass? >> oh, certainly i think he will focus on those issues that have been constant for him. some people like to put them in the three ps -- the poor, the planet and also this way in which he's talking about peace, a general dialogue on peace in all those places of conflict. but i think specifically he'll be looking at things like how are we in this global crisis of migration and immigration, refugees. he'll be talking about ways in which the economy can be more

inclusive and include those who are left out. i think he'll also be talking about religious liberty. how is it that we can ensure not only around the world but particularly in our country, freedom of religion. >> and certainly separate from the festival on saturday night and the mass on sunday, his visits to independence hall and, of course, the prison. that seems to be -- that seems to reflect this message that he wants to send. >> yeah. i think at heart he's very much a jesuit teacher. he understands how you need to reach out to people and get your message across. he's taught all his life from, you know, high school kids all the way through graduate school students. so, i think he takes that seriously as a bishop whose primary job is to teach the faith so he understands the value of gesture and the way in which symbols and actions mean things. so, going to the prison, being in front of independence hall and other city, he'll reach out to the homeless. those are all actions on his part that are not only speaking

a message, but acting out that message. >> hold on for a moment. catholics aren't the only one interested in hearing what pope francis has to say when he visits philadelphia. some other religious leaders in our area are trying to open up the dialogue about what they believe are the needs of all the faithful. joining the discussion now is bishop dwayne royster, executive director of power. this summer he and other members of the black clergy met with vatican officials in rome to discuss issues concerning the african-american community. thank you very much for being with us. >> thank you, rosemary. appreciate it. >> first, tell us about your trip to holme. >> i'm executive director of power here in philadelphia. philadelphiaens organized a power of rebuild here in city the philadelphia and we're part of a pico national organization which is the largest faith-based movement in the country. just a couple months before we

went to the vatican. we were actually here at st. joseph's university with cardinal rodriguez, who is the head of the cardinals council for pope francis. we were talking with him about the concerns we have here in the united states. so, as a result of that, 12 of us from around the country went over to speak with pope francis and cardinals, advisers. while we were there we actually took low-wage workers with us, that were health care workers and fast food workers, to talk about the real stories of people in this country that are experiencing economic exclusion but we also wanted to reflect and let the pope know that coming to the united states f you're coming here to address issues like immigration reform and address issues like economic exclusion, that racial justice has to be part of the conversation, particularly for african-americans. only 4% of the catholic church, african-americans like here in philadelphia, are majority.

we need to hear a word from him about social justice as well. >> when you went to the vatican, what did you learn? >> i was really excited in the conversations we were having with the cardinals, monday seniors uction they were aware offing what going on at the same time the incident happened in texas with the young african-american man and police. we were having meaningful and they were thinking, haw wha should they be thinking about these issues. we talked about ferguson, so she was sharing the experience of being in ferguson and what was going on down there, and the role that the catholic church was even playing on the ground in ferguson, helping to support young activists although the time. >> do you hope or maybe expect to hear pope francis increase some of these issues, racial inequality issues, when he comes to philadelphia?

>> that's what we were asking for. i think he will do that. you don't think you can talk about economic exclusion in the u.s. and how it affects people of both color. pico has been working diligently on those issues. we have events going around the country prior to the pope visit around the country, continuing to carry ma message and addressing systematic, mass deportation, mass incarceration, indignant u et cetera. >> you hope his advisers heard you? >> yes. >> what is it that makes him so inspirational to people of all faiths? >> i think what is exciting about pop francis is completely connected to the pain of people. and he is very clear about saying that the faithful, the church, has to have a responsibility in addressing that. and it's not that he's just talking to the roman catholic

church. he's talking to people of faith, all different faith traditions around the world and calling us back into right relationship with each other and back in right relationship to our god. >> father, do you to want chime in on that? >> no, i think that message of inclusion is very attractive to our college students at st. joseph's who are looking at some of the same material the conk congregations are examining. the thought of pope francis and how does this apply in my life? >> around the country we have congregations who have been doing the year of encounter that pico national network created. small groups in congregations across the country are examining this. >> and some of our students are using that same material as a reflection on their service throughout philadelphia and camden they normally do anyway but this adds a new way of reflecting through pope francis' thoughts and ideas. >> using that word encounter before. >> absolutely. >> great. bishop, thank you for being with

us. father, thank you for being with us. we appreciate both of your insight. coming up next on "nbc10 @issue," it's a disease that affects thousands of people in our area but many know nothing about it. we'll discuss the efforts to boost awareness. ♪my milkface is an elevated state.♪ ♪cinnamon is my soul mate. ♪no debate 'cause it tastes so great.♪ ♪that's why i got milk face. ♪yes, you want it. ♪ the milk tastes oh so sweet.♪ ♪just like heaven between your cheeks.♪ ♪try this technique, put your mouth on fleek.♪

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it's a genetic disease that affects 1 in 12 afterno african-americans. september is sickle cell awareness month and we're trying to get the word out about living and treating this illness. the medical director of the sickle cell disease association of america, the philadelphia delaware valley chapter. she also has sickle cell disease and joined by 17-year-old

alzere, with sickle cell disease, soon to be your patient i understand. >> we're going to work together with all of his physicians. >> thank you for being with us this morning. first thing people have heard of sickle cell disease, but not everybody knows what it is or what it is to live with it. if we can start with you, doctor, and then move on. >> we'd love to. sickle cell disease is a disease that affects the red blood cells. it's a protein malformation. the biggest problem patients incur is that they're unable to carry the right amount of oxygen. the normal blood cell carries four. the sickle cell carries less, maybe one or two. not only does it carry less, it holds onto oxygen much more tightly. where normal red blood cell will release it where you need it, the tenacity of how the sickle cell blood cell holds it is stronger. red blood cell is pliable so it goes through your arteries and veins moving quite softly. the sickle cell, the cells are sickled in shape.

they're very hard and also brittle. so, fundamentally, it's a malfunction of the red blood cell. >> and how does it affect the body? day to day. >> the primary symptom all patients experience is chronic pain. extreme and acute chronic pain. and the pain can come in any part of your body and it can come in four different types. neurolog neurological, muscular, bone and/or began pain. and the patient can have it simultaneously. actually, all four pains. the acute pain syndrome can last a month. it can last a day. a lot of times patients don't report every time they're in chronic pain. i mean, sometimes we have patients who are in pain consistently every day for six weeks. worst case scenario is sudden death syndrome. we still have patients to this day dying from sickle cell at a way higher rate than they should be. >> living with sickle cell disease is a challenge. it's different for every individual. me personally, when i have an

attack, it happens suddenly. i don't really get too many -- i don't get too many warnings. so, it happens all of a sudden and only lasts for one or two days. so, i'm one of the other ones. >> one or two days is still an extended period of time. >> it is. research is going up of sickle cell disease. hospitals are treating it better, connecting with other hospitals and kreegt and forming networks. as far as for sickle cell awareness and the month itself, we have a couple events going on. >> quickly, let's pull up that information on your screen. it's the 18th annual walter e. brandon sickle cell 5k walk and run. happening october 24th at fairmount park. to register or more information, go to our website or you can clip on the nbc10 app. thank you both for being with us this morning. we appreciate it. coming up next on "nbc10

@issue," tap the app. we'll tell you about a new virtual connection to the catholic faith that also includes up to the minute information on the pope's visit to the u.s.

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the catholic church has launched a new app in conjunction with the pope's trip to the u.s. it has details about the visit but also offers up to the minute information on the catholic faith. it provides daily scripture readings and helps users find a parish near them. that's it for this edition of "nbc10 @issue." don't forget extended coverage of "nbc10 news" begins this week when the pope visits washington and new york. then we'll have you covered all weekend long while the pope is here in philadelphia beginning at 6:00 a.m. on saturday.

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