Victims of child abuse by paedophile priests and nuns demanded an "unconditional apology" from the Catholic Church when they marched on the home of the Archbishop of Westminster.

About 30 members of Survivors of Spiritual Abuse marched to the official residence of Archbishop Cormac Murphy-O'Connor in central London to hand in a scroll bearing the names of more than 1,300 alleged victims.

Among them was Maggie Chapman, 60, from Bradford, who said: "It is the first time I have had a chance to express my feelings against the Catholic Church for the physical, psychological, mental and spiritual abuse that we suffered at the hands of nuns as already deprived children.

"We were beaten unmercifully and were punished for minor misdemeanours and for things we didn't even know we had done wrong.

"It just makes me angry that they were trusted by the establishment and they used the cloth to hide behind to abuse us children."

The marchers walked through central London and congregated outside Westminster Cathedral where some wept as they remembered themselves as children or friends who had also suffered abuse.

Susan Ni Rahilly, spokeswoman for Survivors of Spiritual Abuse, said they wanted an apology and a memorial to abuse victims.

They also wanted to engage the Church in discussions over taking things forward more positively.

In response to the march, organisers were handed a letter by the Archbishop's private secretary, Father James Curry.

He said: "The Archbishop has been informed of this initiative and he has indicated that he would be happy to meet with representatives of this group at a mutually convenient date.

"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."

Today's march came amid anger about the recent allegations of a Church cover-up of the paedophile activities of a priest at Gatwick Airport.

The Archbishop faced calls for his resignation last month over his admission that he knew of the paedophile activity of a priest, but still gave him work as a chaplain.

Father Michael Hill was jailed for five years in 1997 for 10 sex attacks on altar boys and other children, including a boy with learning difficulties, whom he met at his Gatwick chapel after the youngster missed his flight.

The Archbishop _ then the Bishop of Arundel in West Sussex _ said that he made a mistake when he allowed the priest to return to work, but that he believed appointing Father Hill as a chaplain at Gatwick Airport was a "low risk" placement.