Protesters occupy nuncio's office in Paris

(Jan. 02, 2013) In France, protesters occupied the offices of the apostolic nuncio in Paris on Monday, December 31, to protest the decision by Church officials to evict squatters from a church in Lille. Undocumented immigrants, mostly from Algeria, have been using the Lille church as a homeless shelter since November.
Church officials eventually acted to remove them to preserve the sacred space. To protest that action, about 50 people invaded the nunciature, hanging a banner out of the window to question the Church’s dedication to the rights of immigrants. Riot police responded to the invasion—which was regarded by law-enforcement as a serious offense, since the nunciature is a protected embassy—but no arrests were reported. The demonstrators agreed to leave peacefully after registering their protest.