Pope’s Visit to Colorado Raises Mile-High Anxiety : As arrival of the pontiff and a huge flock of Catholic followers nears, city worries about crime, security and handling the crowd.

Only a little more than a week before Pope John Paul II arrives with a message of peace for the world’s youth, Colorado officials are struggling with overdue logistical planning for the largest gathering in Denver history and an alarming rise in violent street crimes.

Over the past week, two boys and a 12-year-old girl were hospitalized and one man killed in separate drive-by shootings. Authorities believe that some of these and other violent incidents were connected to gang activity that has spun out of control in recent months.

Denver Archbishop J. Francis Stafford has reported the shootings to the Vatican and pleaded for local residents to “pray that we will be violence-free, at least for the next three weeks.”

Gov. Roy Romer, who has called for a special session of the Legislature to deal with the growing bloodshed, vowed that street crimes would not disrupt the five-day World Youth Day conference that begins Aug. 12. The international Catholic gathering is expected to draw 168,000 participants from 72 countries, and is to include a meeting between the Pope and President Clinton.

In a surprise move Monday, Bruce Garamella, chief of security and credentialing for the conference, resigned for “personal reasons,” said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, the organization’s director of communications. She declined to elaborate on his departure or provide information about his replacement.

Garamella’s resignation was not expected to affect the Pope’s safety, law enforcement authorities said.

But many officials wondered whether local city and county governments were up to the overall logistical task ahead.

“It’s a full-court press to get things in place,” Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan said. “If everyone pulls together in the same direction at the same time, we can do a good job--not a great job--but a good job.”

Ratcheting up the anxiety level, World Youth Day refused in May to contribute funds for security in areas near events such as a papal Mass to be attended by as many as 500,000 worshipers. Such contributions, the organization said, would amount to a conflict of interest between church and state.

Arapahoe County officials responded by creating a “special papal security fund,” hoping to raise $190,000 in donations for barricades and stanchions needed to safely herd the multitudes during, for example, a scheduled 14-mile march from downtown Denver to the Mass site at Cherry Creek State Park.

By Tuesday, however, disappointed county officials had been able to gather less than $2,000--only a little more than is needed to cover fees for attorneys hired to manage the fund.

Nevertheless, Charles Green, treasurer of the security fund, said in a recent interview, “This train is unstoppable--I don’t see how we can say, ‘Pope, you can’t come here, go someplace else.’ ”

Based on contributions received so far, Green said taxpayers will probably wind up paying for security.

On another front, feeding, transporting and housing the multitudes also has turned out to be a monumental planning effort.

At the Mass site--a 120-acre, treeless field--1,300 portable toilets were being installed, along with pipes to supply 800,000 gallons of drinking water to worshipers who are expected to face temperatures of 90 degrees and higher.

Citywide, conference officials have contracted with McDonald’s to supply up to 2 million meals and have inspected vacant department stores, parking garages, the National Stock Show arena and 14,000 homes where participants will be sheltered.

Jane Rieck, a spokeswoman for a coalition of homeowner associations surrounding the Mass site, said she had “great difficulty” in believing that the park could handle the predicted crowds.

“The park is just too small--we’re talking about seven square feet per person,” Rieck said. “The damage to the resources because of that will be greater than we could imagine.”

Hoping to allay such fears, World Youth Day officials have promised to leave behind a “commemorative trail” and a $196,000 fund to reclaim trampled grounds. In addition, makeshift roads constructed from fabric covered with crushed stone will be lifted and hauled away.

“You’ve got to take all these precautions because you’re dealing with young people,” Walsh said. “Young people are expensive.”

They are also lucrative. Although World Youth Day will not make a profit here, the City of Denver probably will. Greater Denver Chamber of Commerce officials estimate that the conference will bring $147 million to the metropolitan area.

But not everyone who comes will be a celebrant. At least 17 religious and political organizations will be on hand to protest the Catholic Church’s conservative positions on birth control, ordination of women, homosexuality and priesthood celibacy.