• Pope expresses 'deep sorrow and shame' over abuse • Benedict met five victims of clerical sex abuse • Pontiff meets party leaders ahead of a Hyde Park vigil • Thousands attend march by the Protest the Pope coalition Follow live updates

7.34pm:

The Catholic Herald reckons it was a "beautiful speech" which 80,000 people listened to in absolute silence.

It has also published the full text.

(That's it from me. Thanks for all comments. More tomorrow).

7.22pm:

The pope attacked "moral relativism" at the Hyde Park prayer vigil. In a tribute to Cardinal Newman he said: "Newman would describe his life's work as a struggle against the growing tendency to view religion as a purely private and subjective matter, a question of personal opinion."

"Here is the first lesson we can learn from his life: in our day, when an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society, Newman reminds us that, as men and women made in the image and likeness of God, we are created to know the truth."

He went on to talk of the "profound crisis of faith which has overtaken our society".

7.17pm:

Here's a slideshow of some of phone photos from the protests.

6.52pm:

"I thinks it's just very special," says Lynne Clarke from Essex after seeing the pope pass down Horse Guards Road.

"We have some issues with this pope, but he is our spiritual leader," she added.

6.32pm:

I'm watching the popemobile's progress down the Mall on one of the TV's in the papal media centre in the QEII office building, opposite Westminster Abbey. The enthusiastic response of the crowd is in marked contrast to the look of the tired hacks tapping away on their computers in the media centre. The journalists are all on deadline, and after three days of this, they've seen it all before.

Time to get out there again.

6.22pm:

The popemobile is heading for Hyde Park thousands of followers have gathered for the evening vigil.

Here's PA's report:

Tens of thousands of people descended on London's Hyde Park today, with dancing nuns, singing priests and happy families celebrating the pope's state visit. They came from all over the country to see the pontiff, waving flags and banners, armed with picnic hampers, foldable chairs and prayer books. There was an upbeat atmosphere with crowds treated to performances of music and dancing, as well as readings and prayers, and stories of hope. In the crowd, sister Maria Natella, 54, of St Dominic's Priory in Lymington, Hampshire, was moving to the music, beaming with happiness. She said: "It's just amazing, I can't put it into words. To have the holy father here is a historic occasion.Every word he has spoken has been one of encouragement to Catholics and Christians." Asked about the protests against the pope, she said: "People have a right to disagree but I would say to anyone who wants to protest to listen to what he is trying to tell us all. "If we can hear his message he will change society for the better." Edward McMahon, 63, from Barnet in north London, said his brother, the Bishop of Nottingham Malcolm McMahon, was hard at work at the front. He joked: "He's probably shaken about 3,000 hands."He added: "Today is a chance for Catholics to get together and express themselves. It gives renewed confidence to their faith." As the Pope's arrival neared, the atmosphere of anticipation built. One believer said: "It's a bit like a pop concert... although I've never been to one." But not everyone at the park was expressing their faith. At the gates a team of young men were giving out free t-shirts reading: "Arrest the Pope." One of them said they were doing "good business" with almost none left.

6.18pm:

Around 10,000 people took to the capital's streets for a Protest the Pope rally and march against what the organisers called "papal intolerance" and to condemn the state funding of the visit, writes Tracy McVeigh.

John Hooper tiny Photograph: Guardian

6.14pm:

John Hooper has more on the meeting with clerical child abuse victims.

The meeting took place at the papal nunciature in Wimbledon wher Benedict is staying. The Vatican has just put out a statement saying he met "a group of persons who had been sexually abused by members of the clergy". It gave no details on how many or for how long. The statement said the pope was "moved by what they had to say and expressed his deep sorrow and shame over what victims and their families had suffered. He prayed with them and assured them that the Catholic Church is continuing to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people, and that it is doing all in its power to investigate allegations, to collaborate with civil authorities and to bring to justice clergy and religious accused of these egregious crimes." The Vatican said that, as on other occasions, he had "prayed that all the victims of abuse might experience healing and reconciliation". It added that, following the meeting, the pope would address a group of professionals and volunteers dedicated to safeguarding children and young people in church environments.

6.09pm:

Peter Tatchell leads the crowd in chants of "shame on the pope". He also reads out the pope's stance on homosexuality to hisses from the protesters.

6.07pm:

The Independent's columnist Johann Hari called for the pope's arrest.

6.00pm:

I've just been listening to some of the Protest the Pope speeches in Whitehall. This is what Dr Ben Goldacre (author of our Bad Science column) had to say about the vatican's opposition to condoms in the prevention of Aids.

As he spoke protesters let got blown up condoms to mock a cleric's claims that they had holes in them.

(The clip ends rather abruptly. Apologies)

5.10pm:

The pope has expressed his "deep sorrow and shame" to five victims of clerical sex abuse who he met today, the Vatican has said. He met the victims at the home of the Vatican's Ambassador to the UK in Wimbledon, south west London.

A statement from the Holy See said:

He prayed with them and assured them that the Catholic Church is continuing to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people, and that it is doing all in its power to investigate allegations, to collaborate with civil authorities and to bring to justice clergy and religious accused of these egregious crimes."

The meeting came after the pope this morning apologised for the "unspeakable crimes" committed by Catholic priests who sexually abused children.

4.44pm:

Here's footage from my phone, uploaded to YouTube, of the march passing Nelson's column. Is that Jimmy Sommerville in the blue T-shirt?

4.24pm:

There was an exchange of insults between protesters and pilgrims according to student Florence Murray. The slogan "Pope Nope" across her chest angered some of the followers, she told me. "People were shouting abuse at me. God hates her, they said."

3.24pm:

The protest is five times as large as the organisers had expected, but the last of the protesters have just gone down Picadilly.

Here's what they've been chanting, courtesy of Audioboo user Lewishamdreamer.

(I'm off to catch them up. More later.)

3.20pm:

Here's more from child abuse survivor Sue Cox.

"How dare he [the pope] suggest that secularism does not accept or tolerate traditional values? "If his traditional values include enabling child abuse and lying about it, homophobia and calling gay and lesbian people inclined to moral evil, charging a fee for his performance to an entire country despite a large percentage of his following scavenging for scraps on rubbish tips, ruling with fear of hell and ex-communication, showing more intolerance than any other religion I have ever experienced, showing hate, disdain, and the purest forms of narcissism - then I am proud to stand up and say that I do not accept his traditional values."

3.17pm:

Riazat has also been putting right Channel 4 News's Alex Thomson on the extent of the apology (it's not just me who has been getting it wrong). "Clear paedophile priest apology after 3 days," Thompson tweeted. No it wasn't tweets Riazat. Thomson admits that a previous "apology" in March to victims of Irish priests was more direct.

The protesters are still marching down Piccadilly.

3.04pm:

I'm sitting in Starbucks on Piccadilly (where the wifi connection is fast but the coffee is expensive). Protesters started marching by about 15 minutes ago and they are still going. A guy in a bear outfit is talking to a reporter outside. Tourists on an open top bus gave the protesters the thumbs up.

Anti-pope protesters gather near Hyde Park. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

2.51pm:

The organisers reckon that around 10,000 protesters will march on Downing Street, according to PA.

It quotes Tatchell criticising the pope for not going far enough in this morning's homily.

"The Pope keeps on apologising for the failings of everyone but himself," he said. "He hasn't admitted his own shortcomings and even today he fails to hand over to police across the world the files he has kept on paedophile priests. That makes him an accomplice to sex crimes against children."

PA also grabbed a word with comedian Al Murray. He said:

"Like a lot of people I am a perplexed that it is a state visit. The Pope's opposition to condoms kills people. "It is all very well him lecturing us on morals but he should look at his own organisation's view."

Speaking at the march Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society (NSS), said:

"This is a secular country, we are a secular nation. The Pope should take his religion home with him and leave us to arrange our society as we want it. The days of popes is over. We are no longer listening to religious leaders - we get our morality from other places." It is very gratifying to see secularism on the streets like this."

2.46pm:

John Hooper also reckoned I got carried away by the pope's non-apology. "He expressed sorrow. That's different. It's an expression of regret," John says.

(It's me that should apologise. Sorry. On my 10.56am post I had written "unequivocal," but that sensibly got changed to "closest yet", by my editor while I was out talking to protesters.)

2.39pm:

Riazat puts me right on the fullness of the apology. She says it was an "interesting non-apology apology".

Riazat Butt tiny. Photograph: Guardian

He expressed his sorrow, but he didn't say sorry, or use the word apology. Colm O'Gorman made some very valid points on BBC about this. I hope to be speaking to him in a bit for his reaction. The pope did the same after Regensburg - expressed his sorrow for the way Muslims reacted but didn't say sorry.

2.35pm:

The march is about to get underway. It's being led by Peter Tatchell among others. You can hear him explain some of the protesters' objections to the pope's visit in this audio. You can also hear clerical child abuse survivor Bill Maloney.

2.28pm:

Lots of the protesters are wearing those card papal hats I mentioned earlier (10.36am). Here's a selection of some of the slogans on the banners, placards and hats: "go forth and mulitply", "I'd rather pay for a duck house", "fuck the pope", "hooray for condoms", "Equality Justice B4 faith".

2.25pm:

I also talked to Sue Cox, a survivor of clerical child abuse, was unimpressed by the pope's apology.

2.18pm:

I'm on Piccadilly at the start of the Protest the Pope march. Several thousands protesters have gathered at Hyde Park corner ready to head east down Piccadilly. Meanwhile thousands of pilgrims are heading the other way towards Hyde Park. It's all very good natured so far but clearly there could be problems later.

Here's Claire Dixon-Harris, one of the first protesters I encountered.

1.55pm: Here's the full text of the sermon at Westminster Cathedral where the pope speaks of his deep sorrow over child abuse and speaks of the purification of the church and renewal of its commitment to the education and care of young people.

12.15pm:

Time for a lunchtime summary of the events so far today:

• The pope has expressed sorrow for the "immense suffering" caused by the victims of clerical child abuse."I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes," he said.

• In their first encounter the pope met David Cameron at Archbishop's House. The pope also met the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and the acting leader of the Labour party, Harriet Harman (10.12am).

• A mass at Westminister cathedral was led by the pope. Thousands of the pope's followers packed the piazza outside the cathedral.

• The Protest the Pope coalition prepared to start a rally in central London. Leading secularists are expected to take part including the scientist Richard Dawkins and the gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell (9.52am).

12.09pm:

John Hooper points out that the pope may have to confront some of the victims of clerical child abuse later today or tomorrow.

John Hooper tiny Photograph: Guardian

The pontiff made his comments about abuse victims amid speculation that, at some point in his day, he will come face to face with the victims. His timetable tomorrow, when he travels from London to Birmingham is pretty packed. Abuse victims will be among those opposed to his visit taking part in a protest march this afternoon in Hyde Park.

12.06pm:

Here's a recording of the pope's speech to the crowd outside the cathedral.

11.57am:

"We love you Benedict," someone shouts from the crowd to cheers and applause. The pope embraces Uche and starts to address the crowd.

11.55am:

The pope has appeared outside the cathedral to cheers from the crowds. Paschal Uche (see 9.56am) welcomes him and asks him to bless a candle stand.

11.44am:

Riazat has a clarification on her unfortunate celebrity monk (10.02am):



I have been told that Christopher Jamison is no longer abbot of Worth Abbey. That's fine, but he is a celebrity monk and he was turned away.

A few moments ago she also tweeted this:

11.28am:

Here's John Hooper's report on the pope's sorrow over the sex abuse scandal.

It includes this description of this morning's service.



The pope made his comments at a service that was the occasion for religious pageantry of a sort rarely seen in Britain. He was preceded into the cathedral by more than 100 scarlet-robed priests and a constellation of bishops and cardinals. To a volley of applause from the congregation, he appeared at the climax of a musical build-up that could have come from the score for a sci-fi movie epic.

11.13am:

The organisers of the Protest the Pope rally will be carrying regular audio updates. Here's the first.

10.56am:

Before the visit critics of the pope had been hoping for a full apology for child abuse by Catholic clergy.

What he just said was the closet yet. Here's the key phrase: "I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes."

10.46am:

The pope acknowledged the "shame" of the child abuse scandal in his homily at the cathedral.

He said he hoped that power of Christ's grace will "bring deep healing" to the victims of abuse.

The Catholic Herald has a full text. The key passage is this:

I think of the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the Church and by her ministers. Above all, I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes, along with my hope that the power of Christ's grace, his sacrifice of reconciliation, will bring deep healing and peace to their lives. I also acknowledge with you the shame and humiliation which all of us have suffered because of these sins; and I invite you to offer it to the Lord with trust that this chastisement will contribute to the healing of victims, the purification of the Church and the renewal of her age-old commitment to the education and care of young people. I express my gratitude for the efforts being made to address this problem responsibly, and I ask all of you to show your concern for the victims and solidarity with your priests.

10.36am:

The Protest the Pope coalition is urging those taking part in the rally to wear a papal hat made out of card. It's briefing includes a seven stage guide to making the hat.

Step 7: Pull the bottom hole open and place the hat on your head. Congratulations, you're the new leader of the Roman Catholic church!

10.17am:

The pope is leading prayers in the cathedral, after a welcome from Archbishop Vincent Nichols.

10.12am:

Harriet Harman insists she had lots to talk about with the pope. Speaking to PA she said:

"I was very pleased to express the welcome to the pope on his visit to this country as leader of the opposition and on behalf of the Labour Party. We talked about the many struggles for social justice that the Catholics and the Labour party have struggled on together. "We talked about the challenges that still remain here and abroad. "We reflected on the long, close connection between - and the leading role played by - Catholics in the Labour Party over many decades and I wished him well for the rest of his visit." She did not say whether they discussed the issue of gay adoption within Catholic adoption agencies. Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg arrived to meet the Pope, accompanied by his Catholic wife and children.

10.08am:

Riazat has news on the pope's meeting with the party leaders.

Riazat Butt tiny. Photograph: Guardian

Inside the piazza pen, several thousand young Catholics waiting for the pope. Also just heard that while Cameron and Clegg were quite fluent in their meeting with the pope Harman was quite stilted and the pope had to initiate the smalltalk.

A nun is checked by police as she passes through a security checkpoint for Pope visit

10.02am:

Yesterday nuns and monks were being frisked outside the "big assembly" at a Catholic college. There has been no let up today, according to Riazat.

Security showing no mercy. Celebrity monk Abbott Christopher Jamison turned away from entering the piazza because he didn't have the right pass. Don't they know who he is? Clearly not.

9.56am:

The pope has arrived at Westminister cathedral. Later he is due to meet Paschal Uche, outside the Westminster cathedral. Uche describes being picked for the task on Facebook.



Since the day I was asked a large part of my life, attention and focus has been directed towards this in one way or another. I would like to see myself as just another run of the mill Catholic young person on this great journey of life, but I cannot deny that this humbling opportunity has made me more aware that God picks the ordinary to do some quite spectacular things.

9.52am:

Protest the Pope has put together a timetable of its demonstration.

1.30pm protesters begin to assemble

2pm speech by Sue Cox, sex abuse survivor 2.10pm 'Stand by me' sung by soloist David Somerset Barnes 2.20pm performance by BHA Choir leading 'You'll never walk alone.' 2.30pm march moves off and proceeds through central London via Piccadilly, Piccadilly Circus, Haymarket, Trafalgar Square and Whitehall. 3.30pm rally outside Downing Street featuring:

• Barbara Blaine, SNAP, the Survivor's Network of those Abused by Priests

• Clara Connolly, Women Against Fundamentalism

• Andrew Copson, British Humanist Association

• Professor Richard Dawkins, scientist

• Dr Ben Goldacre, journalist

• Johann Hari, journalist

• Father Bernard J Lynch, an openly gay catholic priest

• Maryam Namazie, One Law for All

• Pragna Patel, Southall Black Sisters

• Terry Sanderson, National Secular Society

• Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner

9.43am:

Riazat Butt is on her way to Westminster cathedral and frustrated by the papal visit's media operation.

Riazat Butt tiny. Photograph: Guardian

Hotfooting it to the cathedral for the first PA (papal appearance) of day three of Benedict's Great British tour. Not going inside the cathedral however, as I would have had to be there at 8am, the Mass doesn't start until 10am and hacks won't be allowed to leave before midday.

A colleague who did decide to take up a press spot tells me she is furious because the media are stuck behind a massive pillar and have no clear view of the altar. They are watching it on a big screen so what's the point of being there? Indeed.

Feel free to play the world's smallest violin but the Vatican and the pope do harp on about the responsibility of the press, while some Catholics have complained that the press focus on the negative rather than the positive.

Sticking us behind pillars doesn't help, nor does the lack of electronic copies of the pope's speeches. Paper versions are available but the homilies and speeches are only online after the event and certainly not quickly enough for rolling news coverage. As another colleague, the Telegraph's Martin Beckford remarked on Twitter yesterday, the Catholic Herald is doing a better job of getting the information out there than the church or government media team.

9.32am:

The BBC says that pope has now also met both Nick Clegg and Harriet Harman.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people are gathering outside Westminster cathedral ahead of the mass at 10am, as protesters make their preparations.

Both the protesters and pilgrims are battling for attention on Twitter.

"Can't wait to see the Holy Father. I'm looking forward to being encouraged by his words." said 22-year-old Carl, according to a tweet from the organisers of the visit.

"Human rights and dignity transcend religion. Go home," says the banner of protester Lee Ferris.

9.19am:

"Something unexpected is happening during the papal visit to this country: the British public is listening with curiosity and genuine respect to Pope Benedict XVI," the Daily Telegraph's leader claims.

It adds: "Pope Benedict's critics have underestimated him. They worked themselves into a state of indignation at the visit of a man about whom they knew only a few things – and most of these turn out to be wrong, on closer inspection."

9.11am:

The pope has now met David Cameron, according to PA.

The Pope arrived at Archbishop House, behind Westminster Cathedral in central London at 8.40am followed 15 minutes later, by the prime minister. It is the first time the two men have met since the pope arrived in the UK.

9.10am:

Frank Cottrell Boyce, the screenwriter of 24 hour Party People, describes being asked to co-compere tonight's vigil.

A few months back, as I was on my way to bed, I got a phone call from Rome, asking me to co-compere the papal vigil in Hyde Park. The biggest event I've ever compered until now was the annual rally of Mobile Librarians - a kind of Hells' Angels meet with extra shelving. Catholics of my generation grew up feeling that we were never quite part of British society. The big papal event of my childhood was the canonisation of the Lancashire martyrs - mighty people, but also a fairly gruesome reminder that we didn't really belong at that time. So it's great that Benedict XVI is going to beatify an Englishman - John Henry Newman - who made a massive contribution to mainstream British culture through his Idea of A University, a priest who worked with the poorest immigrant communities but who also found time to write, what James Joyce called, the finest prose in English. For Catholics the fact this is a state visit therefore is enormously significant, a joyous occasion. I'd be lying if I said some of the press didn't leave me feeling troubled and bruised in recent weeks. But the first person I met at the vigil rehearsal was a prison chaplain - Julia Houlston-Clarke, the innovative and courageous pioneer of restorative justice. I listened to some of her stories - stories of people in the most extreme circumstances who find ways to forgive - or be forgiven - and move on. I met the parents of Jimmy Mizzen, whose son was murdered two years ago and whose harrowing, humbling testimony I couldn't possibly summarize here. I don't know where the Church is going, but listening to those testimonies of raw experience and of the grace found in courage I remembered that the Church is made of its people and I felt that these people with their terrible losses and their terrible courage, were speaking with prophetic voices. In his thrilling essay on the Trinity, Slavoj Zizek's says that Christ suffered and failed and doubted and therefore our failings don't separate us from him but unite us to him.

9.04am:

Prepare for some very contrasting scenes on day three of Benedict's visit.

The Protest the Pope coalition is planning a march through London as thousands of pilgrims descend on Hyde Park for a prayer vigil led by the pope.

Before all that, the pope meets David Cameron, who missed the pope's address to MPs and peers yesterday, because he was attending the funeral of his father, Ian, who died last week.

The pope will also meet the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and the acting leader of the Labour party Harriet Harman. After that, at around 10am, he attends a mass at Westminster cathedral.

Meanwhile, six street cleaners continue to be held by the police under the Terrorism Act.

Five of them were arrested at a depot in central London yesterday morning and a sixth was later arrested at a home in north London.

The arrests haven't disrupted the pope's schedule. A popemobile ride is planned along Horse Guards Parade, The Mall and Constitution Hill. It is due to start at around 6pm ahead of the Hyde Park vigil.

The vigil will be compered by television presenter Carol Vorderman and writer Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Representatives from every Catholic diocese in England, Scotland and Wales will take part in a procession and speakers will include Barry and Margaret Mizen, the parents of murdered schoolboy Jimmy Mizen.

Yesterday in his address to both Houses of Parliament, the pope complained that faith was being increasingly marginalised. Earlier he attacked celebrity culture and the pursuit of wealth.

His words got another mixed reaction in the press. The Daily Mail, which has been the pope's chief cheerleader during the trip, portrayed the Westminster Hall address as the "the battle to save Christmas".

In its editorial, the paper praised the pope's words and the pilgrims who have flocked to see him.

They have delivered an eloquent rebuke to the bilious hatred poured upon the Pontiff by such nauseatingly self-important individuals as Stephen Fry, who have spent the past week demonising the head of one of the world's great religions. If they had hoped to cow the Pope, they could not have been more wrong. For all week he has spoken with extraordinary candour.

The paper also used the occasion to take an extraordinary swipe at the head of the Anglican church, Rowan Williams.

What a contrast to our own Archbishop of Canterbury, who is so petrified of appearing irrelevant in the modern world that he utters barely a word about the critical moral issues facing this country. Witness how yesterday, when delivering prayers alongside the Pope at Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop offered only theological vagaries about the dark ages of Christianity.

How much more courageous it would have been for the Archbishop to echo the Pope's attack on the strident voices of secularism, cheered on by the BBC, which seek to exclude religious values from national discourse.

But the Guardian wanted the pope to have been more contrite, describing his message as "troubling".

The Catholic church is still able to influence and inspire, but not one that covers up sex abuse scandals or is unable, like the leader of the church in Belgium, to apologise for them; not one whose teachings on contraception, remarriage and homosexuality are ignored; not one whose congregations are voting with their feet – 40% drop in attendance in England and Wales, 25% drop in weddings, 25% drop in priests. Should not responsibility for the marginalisation of religion that the pope talked about yesterday in Westminster Hall be shared? Are the enemies solely external, or does the behaviour of the church and its priests play a part?

Dave Brown, the Independent's cartoonist, depicts protesters gathering outside the pope's window as he taps his red slippers together like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. "There's no place like Rome," the pope says to himself.