Hundreds of Roman Catholic clergymen were today gathering at Butlins holiday resort in Bognor to plan a campaign of spiritual renewal.

The Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, was joining about 400 members of clergy from the Archdiocese of Westminster.

They were expected to spend two days debating a programme of spiritual and pastoral renewal for nearly half a million Catholics living in the Archdiocese, an area extending north of the Thames to Hertfordshire.

A spokeswoman for the Westminster Archdiocese said: "We chose Butlins because it can hold 400 of us within striking distance of London."