Outside the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, second only to Notre Dame in Paris, Mala looked sternly at the obstructive Dean Grénière and said bluntly, "If you insist on stopping me from carrying out my duties, I can only call in the Service Team."
The Service Team is the law enforcement agency under the Official Investigation Bureau, with the authority to search, seize, and even temporarily detain.
A priest standing next to Dean Grénière suddenly shouted to the crowd, "Entering the monastery without permission is blasphemy against Jesus; we must not sit idly by and let them do this!"
The hundreds of citizens who had been silent until then suddenly became agitated.
The religious beliefs of the French people are deeply rooted, and the words of the high-ranking clergy are akin to divine revelation. Immediately, dozens of elders stepped forward to surround Mala and his team, desperately making the sign of the cross, demanding that they leave.
