Eight women bared their breasts in Paris’s Notre Dame cathedral yesterday to celebrate the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.

The women from feminist protest group FEMEN shouted ‘no more homophobe’, ‘Pope no more’ and ‘bye bye Benedict’ while ringing bells near the alter in the iconic cathedral, with slogans painted on their bodies.

Some visitors to the cathedral expressed disapproval. ‘This is a sacred place, you can’t strip here,’ said a French woman, AFP reports.

The protesters were manhandled outside by Notre Dame’s security where they shouted ‘in gay we trust’ and ‘get out homophobe’.

FEMEN started in Ukraine in 2008. The French branch of the group was formed after Ukrainian Inna Shevchenko moved to Paris in August 2012.

The group wore nuns’ habits and painted ‘in gay we trust’ on their naked breasts at an anti-gay marriage protest in Paris last November.

Last month FEMEN took their topless protest to the Vatican.

The Pope shocked the world on Monday by announcing that he would resign at the end of this month, making him the first Pope since 1415 to do so.

‘After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,’ he said.

Watch a video of the FEMEN Notre Dame protest here (WARNING, this video contains flashing images. Some of the images may disturb some viewers. GSN has included it despite it showing naked breasts as it is not sexual in nature and is a public interest news story.):