About 120 migrants were evicted from a squat outside Rome about two weeks ago.

The group, mostly from Eastern Europe and North Africa, have asked the Pope to grant them asylum in the Vatican.

But Pope Francis had the basilica, which is owned by the Holy See, cleared before a recent visit.

As he arrived in a procession to celebrate Corpus Christi, the migrants were relocated to the car park by Vatican police.

A Vatican spokesman said the Holy See feared a meeting with Pope Francis might be "manipulated to put pressure on the Rome authorities".

Some of the migrants have accepted temporary accommodation offered by Italian authorities in a former exhibition hall.

But others have refused this because there is no light or water there, and other inhabitants have tuberculosis.

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