Okay then, we’ll shut down your church:

One of the nation’s oldest black churches will be shut down indefinitely because protesters fighting a consolidation plan interrupted Mass, the archbishop of New Orleans said Monday.

The protesters, led by out-of-state activists, have occupied the rectory for a week, saying they will not leave until the Roman Catholic parish is restored as an individual parish.

Archbishop Alfred Hughes said at a news conference that he had no choice but to close the church because protesters had desecrated it by interrupting Mass on Sunday.

It cannot be reopened, he said, until it is consecrated again. Consecration, he said, would entail an expression of regret by the protesters.

During the service, protesters walked through the sanctuary holding picket signs and chanting.

The archbishop also ordered those holed up in the rectory to immediately vacate the property. He did not indicate what steps would be taken if they did not leave.