Rome, Italy - Armed security guards have been brought in for the first time to protect visitors to the Franciscan church of Santa Maria degli Angeli at Assisi from "beggars, tramps and gypsies" who "disturb the peace of a place of prayer".
The church houses the Porziuncola, the hut in which St Francis patron saint of the poor, began his mission in the thirteenth century. It lies in the plain below the hilltop town of Assisi, in Umbria, and the Basilica of St Francis, which contains the tomb of the saint and a celebrated series of frescoes by Giotto.
Luigi Frollini, head of a firm which supplies security guards in the Perugia area, confirmed that it had put guards on duty at Assisi at the request of the Franciscan friars. "So far they have only had to deal with a few gypsies importuning pilgrims" he said.
Claudio Ricci, mayor of Assisi and a member of Forza Italia, the party led by Silvio Berlusconi, said the friars' decision to employ guards was in line with a new local ordinance cracking down on illegal immigrants, many of them Roma gypsies.
Mr Berlusconi's Centre Right alliance, which won a sweeping victory in elections last month and is due to take office shortly, has promised to close down Roma shantytowns, expel illegal immigrants and recruit more police to tackle street crime. Crime and immigration dominated the election campaign, which produced a shift to the Right, with notable election successes not only for Forza Italia but also for the "post Fascist" Alleanza Nazionale and the anti immigrant Northern League.
Mr Ricci said Assisi had a long tradition of welcoming visitors and pilgrims in the name of peace. There had however been thefts from offertory boxes as well as harrassment of visitors by beggars and pickpockets. Il Messaggero, the Rome daily, said private security guards had not yet been introduced in Rome. However security at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, which houses the tomb of the Apostle, had been discreetly reinforced by officers from the Vatican corps of gendarmes, resulting in a significant drop in the number of beggars. In addition an iron gate had been placed around the main steps of the Basilica of St Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore).