Victims of abuse by Catholic priests and nuns yesterday demanded an "unconditional apology" from the Catholic Church in England and Wales when they marched to the official residence in London of Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster.
Members of the campaign group, "The Names, the Survivors and Victims of Spiritual Abuse", handed in a letter and a scroll bearing the names of 1,300 abuse victims to Archbishop's House in Westminster calling on the archbishop to establish dialogue with the group.
The organisation said it wanted the Catholic Church to apologise to abuse victims who had experienced physical, mental and spiritual abuse by priests and nuns and bring an end "to the denial of abuse, mistreatment and damage".
It also wants a memorial to victims to be built and for the Catholic Church to provide funding for "healing initiatives" such as counselling services and a telephone helpline.
About 30 marchers walked in silent protest from south London to Westminster Cathedral to deliver their demands. A spokeswoman, Ms Susan Ni Rahilly, said the group wanted to discuss their demands positively, but would only accept a simple, unconditional apology from the archbishop "without any of the usual rhetoric" from the church.
The protest was organised amid growing anger over the archbishop's actions regarding the case of a paedophile priest who was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in 1997.
The archbishop faced calls to resign last month when he admitted that when he was bishop of Arundel he knew about Father Michael Hill's activities, but because he believed he could be rehabilitated he appointed him as chaplain to Gatwick Airport.
The Catholic Media Office said the archbishop was on leave, and his private secretary, Father James Curry, accepted the protest letter on his behalf.
In a statement Father Curry said the archbishop accepted the invitation to meet the campaign group: "This latest initiative shows how important it is for the church, and indeed for society as a whole, to continue addressing the issue of abuse as a matter of urgency. It is a call to listen to the voice of the abused, and the church welcomes opportunity for dialogue."