BIRMINGHAM, UK/VATICAN CITY (ANS) -- The former Birmingham, England, archbishop, Vincent Nichols, has called for Jimmy Savile, the popular British TV and radio host and DJ, to be stripped of his Papal Knighthood following shocking allegations that he had sexually abused “at least 300 victims” on BBC property as well as in schools and hospitals where he volunteered.

Jimmy Savile with his Papal awar

The scandal which is rocking Great Britain, and has thrown the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) into crisis, came about after media claims that many of the girls Savile, who died last year and was a fixture on BBC TV and radio with his peroxide hair, track suit and constant cigar in his mouth, was alleged to have assaulted were underage.

Now the Birmingham Mail (www.birminghammail.net) is reporting that former Birmingham Archbishop, Vincent Nichols, now Archbishop of Westminster, made the request to the Holy See – the Papal authority – after Scotland Yard revealed it is in contact with 300 alleged victims of the shamed star.

According to the story by Jonny Greatrex, “Savile received the religious gong in 1990 as a reward for raising cash for Little Sisters of the Poor, an organization which runs a Leeds care home.

“The allegations against the Top Of The Pops presenter, who died last year at the age of 84, were triggered by an ITV documentary screened earlier this month.

“On Friday it emerged that seven victims had made complaints to four separate police forces while Savile was still alive.

“They approached police in Surrey, London, Sussex and Jersey, but it was decided no further action should be taken.

“Now the Archbishop of Westminster has added his weight to the scandal, calling for Savile to lose the top Roman Catholic church honor.

The Archbishop of Westminister, Vincent Nichols

A spokesman for Mr. Nichols said: “The Archbishop of Westminster wrote last week to the Holy See.

“He asked 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, recognizing the deep distress of all those who have suffered abuse and the disquiet at the name of Mr. Savile remaining on Papal Honours lists.”

The spokesman for the church, which has itself been mired in child sex scandals, encouraged more victims to come forward.

“While the outcome of the current police investigation is awaited, the allegations of abuse are deeply shocking and our thoughts go first to all those who have been abused,” he said.

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.

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.

According to the BBC, “There is no established process to remove a papal knighthood posthumously because the honour dies with the recipient.”

Speaking to BBC News, the Vatican's official spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said the Holy See “firmly condemns the horrible crimes of sexual abuse of minors,” adding it considered the Savile revelations as “very grave”.

"It is deeply saddened that a person who has been soiled in this way could in his lifetime have been proposed for an honour by the Holy See, which in the light of recent information should certainly not have been bestowed.”

Father Lombdardi went on: “As there does not exist any permanent official list of persons who have received papal honours in the past, it is not possible to strike anyone off a list that does not exist.

“The names of recipients of papal honours do not appear in the Pontifical Year Book and the honour expires with the death of the individual.

“The most important thing, therefore, is to reaffirm the Church's condemnation of all forms of sexual abuse, and particularly abuse of minors, as extremely grave crimes. The Holy See is adamant on this point.”

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.

A spokesman for the Catholic Church in England and Wales 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”.

Now there are calls that Sir Jimmy Savile’s knighthood given by Queen Elizabeth in 1990 should be posthumously removed. The National Society for the Protection of Children (NSPCC) has said that it would support its removal. A spokesman for the organization said: “It's clear he was not the man people thought they knew when he was knighted.” At present knighthoods cannot be removed posthumously.

Dan Wooding, 71, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 49 years. They have two sons, Andrew and Peter, and six grandchildren who all live in the UK. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS) and he hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on the KWVE Radio Network in Southern California and which is also carried throughout the United States and around the world. Besides this, Wooding is a host for His Channel Live, which is carried via the Internet to some 192 countries. Dan recently received two top media awards -- the “Passion for the Persecuted” award from Open Doors US, and as one of the top “Newsmakers of 2011” from Plain Truth magazine. He is the author of some 45 books, the latest of which is “Caped Crusader: Rick Wakeman in the 1970s.” To order a copy, go to: Caped Crusader - Amazon