WHAT AND WHAT NOT TO DO: How to prepare for Pope Francis' upcoming trip to the U.S.

Pope Franics is sometimes comical, but during Mass he's all about remaining serious.

People love to greet the pope with extravagant welcomes, coupled with extra special preparations. Some of these preparations will require several adjustments for Pope Francis' trip to the United States, because the U.S. Secret Service will probably be less accepting of certain behavior, like tossing things to the pope. It is common knowledge for the Vatican that items may be tossed at the Pope; soccer jerseys and scarves were tossed in Ecuador, but items typically tossed are flower petals.

MUNTINLUPA, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - With Pope Francis' July 5-12 visit in South America, as an example, a few things were made clear that could help people in the U.S. prepare for the Pope's upcoming visit:

1. Pope Francis loves a crowd. People with disabilities, the sick, and squirming babies come first. Pope walks into a place with a smile on his face and then he excitedly starts to greet, bless, hug and kiss people.

2. While it does not please the Pope to have people running at him, the Pope truly does not mind being embraced. As a nun in Our Lady of Peace Cathedral in La Paz rushed toward Pope Francis July 8, the Pope backed up and used both hands to gesture her to calm down and step back. The nun was still able to receive a blessing from the Pope.

3. Pope Francis prefers to be less animated during mass. His focus and the focus he wants from the congregation is on Jesus present in the Eucharist. At large public Masses on papal trips, he sticks to the text of his prepared homilies.

4. A meeting with priests, seminarians and other religious people is a fixture during papal trips within Italy and abroad. However in Cuba and the United States, the meetings will take place during vespers services, Sept. 20 in Havana and Sept. 24 in New York. At vespers, like at Mass for example, Pope Francis tends to follow his prepared text.

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