A member of the radical feminist group FEMEN has reportedly been detained by the Vatican police after showing up in the middle of St. Peter's Square while breastfeeding a baby.
According to Daily Mail, the woman stood in the middle of the passing crowds at the square with the words "alma mater" - the Latin for "mother feeding" - written across her chest. A video of the incident showed the woman, who was wearing no top, being grabbed by police as she was breastfeeding a child.
FEMEN, which describes itself as a "sextremist" group, has said that the public display was part of a protest to urge Pope Francis to introduce a special edict that would acknowledge the right of women to breastfeed wherever they want.
"The right to feed must be recorded in the Papal Bull called Alma Mater. With this first Bull in favor of a woman the Vatican can partially wash away the shame of centuries-old persecution of women. Alma Mater is holy!" the group wrote in a statement.
The statement also claimed that journalists who were covering the incident were arrested by police, who also allegedly "confiscated the photos and video materials" related to the protest.
Pope Francis has expressed his support for mothers' breastfeeding rights in public back in January when he baptized 34 infants during a ceremony at the Sistine Chapel.
"If they start performing a concert (by crying), or if they are uncomfortable or too warm or don't feel at ease or are hungry ... breastfeed them, don't be afraid, feed them, because this too is the language of love," Francis said.
FEMEN, which was founded in Ukraine in 2008, has grabbed attention in the past for staging protests at the Vatican. In December, one of the group's members tried to steal a baby Jesus statue from the Nativity scene at St. Peter's Square on Christmas Day. The activist was reportedly shouting "God is a woman" before being detained by authorities.
Another FEMEN activist had managed to take the baby Jesus statue in December 2014, but was arrested by police.
The radical feminist group, which is known for its topless protests, reportedly left Ukraine in 2013 due to concerns over the "lives and freedoms" of its members. The main headquarters of the group is now located in Paris, with several branches in other countries.
