Tatchell backs calls for Pope to resign over abuse

Mr Tatchell joined protesters at Westminster Cathedral in central London, saying he believed the allegations were too strong to ignore.

"I think the evidence is mounting that the Pope had direct personal responsibility for the cover-up and therefore he's lost his moral and religious authority," he said.

"The Pope has played a direct personal role in covering up sex abuse. He should resign."

Carrying placards stating: "Pope Protects Paedophile Priests - Resign!" and "Sex Abuse Cover Up - Pope Must Resign," demonstrators confronted the congregation as it left Westminster Cathedral in central London.

They claim that Pope Benedict XVI was complicit in protecting priests accused of child sex abuse from prosecution.

Because of these accusations, many people object to the pontiff's planned taxpayer-funded state visit to Britain in September.

But the Archbishop of Westminster Vincent Nichols defended the Pope, claiming that he was at the forefront of efforts to tackle the problem of clerical sex abuse.

He told BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "In fact, it is the other way around. He is the one above all else in Rome that has tackled this thing head on."