The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has written to the Vatican to ask if Jimmy Savile's papal knighthood can be posthumously removed, the Church has confirmed.
The Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, asked Church officials in Rome to investigate the matter, recognising the "deep distress" of the late presenter's abuse victims.
Police confirmed Savile could have sexually abused some 300 people.
Savile was granted the honour in 1990.
Meanwhile, a statement released by Savile's nephew, Roger Foster, described the family's "despair and sadness" over the revelations, adding "our feelings are in turmoil as we await the next turn of events".
'Exceptional request'Savile was made a Knight Commander of St Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II for his charity work. It is one of the highest awards the Pope can bestow.
There is no established process to remove a papal knighthood posthumously because the honour dies with the recipient.
However, a spokesman confirmed Archbishop Nichols "wrote last week to the Holy See asking the competent office to investigate whether the papal honour awarded to Jimmy Savile for his charitable works could be posthumously removed and its effects nullified".
The spokesman said the Archbishop's letter was written "recognising the deep distress of all those who have suffered abuse and the disquiet at Mr Savile's name remaining on papal honours lists".
He said the move was "clearly an exceptional request".
"The Church invites all those who have suffered abuse to come forward to the appropriate authorities," he added.
The Holy See is the supreme government of the Roman Catholic Church, which operates from the independent territory of the Vatican City State in Rome.
The Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal inquiry into the allegations against the former BBC presenter and DJ, who died in October 2011 aged 84, describing him as a predatory sex offender.
They are following 400 lines of inquiry and believe he may have sexually abused many young people and children, sometimes on BBC premises, over a 40-year period.
BBC under fireThe BBC has been criticised for failing to stop the alleged abuse during Savile's long career at the corporation.
It is also under fire for axing a 2011 Newsnight report into the claims and its handling of the subsequent scandal.
On 13 October, BBC director general George Entwistle apologised to the women involved and announced two inquiries surrounding the allegations.
An inquiry into why the Newsnight report was dropped is already under way, led by the former head of Sky News, Nick Pollard. The results are expected in December.
The second investigation will look at whether culture and practice at the BBC at the time enabled Savile to carry out the sexual abuse of children.
This will be on hold until the police give the go-ahead and will be led by former Appeal Court judge Dame Janet Smith.
A separate review will examine the BBC's current sexual harassment policies.
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