Scituate Church Occupiers Are Trespassers Says Appeals Court

BOSTON (AP) — Parishioners of a long-closed Catholic church south of Boston have lost their appeal of a ruling ordering them to end their 11-year, 24/7 vigil inside the building.

Read: The Ruling

The Massachusetts Appeals Court on Wednesday affirmed a judge's ruling that parishioners at St. Frances X. Cabrini Church in Scituate are trespassing on property owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.

The archdiocese shuttered the church as part of a reorganization effort. The parishioners have occupied the church since it closed in 2004. In March, the archdiocese sued to evict them.

In its ruling, the Appeals Court acknowledged the parishioners' "heartfelt beliefs" that they are entitled to remain in the church "as an exercise of their freedom of religion." But the court agreed with the lower court judge's conclusion that they are trespassing.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.