MANILA: Tens of thousands of people lined the streets of Manila on Thursday, cheering Pope Francis as he began his first visit to Asia’s largest Catholic nation amid one of the biggest security operations in Philippine history.

The other pontiffs to visit the Philippines were both targets of assassination attempts, prompting the deployment of nearly 50,000 soldiers and police in the capital and in the central Philippine province of Leyte for his weekend trip there.

Earlier this week, the Vatican denied Italian newspaper reports that US and Israeli intelligence officials had informed the Vatican that there could be an imminent attack by militants.

On Wednesday, President Benigno Aquino personally inspected motorcade routes and public venues, which were lined with black-and-white concrete barriers topped by thick wire mesh to control eager crowds.

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas said Aquino was willing to serve as Francis’ “personal bodyguard” to ensure his safety. In a televised address on Monday, Aquino appealed to Filipinos to follow security rules after two people were killed in a stampede during a religious procession on Friday.

Asked if he was nervous ahead of the Pope’s arrival, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor said: “For a long time now, yes. This is very challenging for the PNP.”

In 1970, a Bolivian artist dressed as a priest tried to stab Pope Paul VI when he arrived at Manila airport. The pope sustained minor chest wounds from the attack.

In 1995, a group of militants, including the mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, conspired to assassinate Pope John Paul II in Manila. But an accidental fire in an apartment in Manila led to the discovery of the bomb plot days before the pope’s visit.

Aquino said there was no known threat in the country to Francis’ life, but security officials were not taking any chances. Snipers will be positioned at key points around Manila and Tacloban during the trip, with sniffer dogs deployed at sites he will visit.

Asked by reporters aboard the papal plane to Manila if he felt vulnerable to an assassination attempt or an attack, Francis said he was more worried about others rather than himself, and that he was confident about security measures in the Vatican and during his trips.

The 78-year-old pontiff will bring a message of compassion to millions of poor Filipinos suffering from the effects of corruption and decades-old insurgencies.

He will visit the central province of Leyte, which is still struggling to recover from Typhoon Haiyan that killed 6,300 people in 2013.

The government has declared a three-day public holiday to clear traffic in Manila, a city of 12 million people, and has even closed financial markets.