The BBC today came under renewed fire over the standards of its journalism when a leading Roman Catholic bishop accused it of displaying anti-Catholic bias and encouraging a "tabloid culture".
Mario Conti, the Archbishop of Glasgow, pointed the finger at the corporation for its "gross insensitivity" to the church and for its "increasingly cavalier attitude" towards other institutions.
In a letter to the Herald newspaper, the archbishop accused the BBC of "rudeness and prejudice" in marking the 25th anniversary of the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and the beatification of Mother Teresa with a documentary about the effectiveness of condoms in the fight against Aids.
"Such scheduling showed gross insensitivity to the spiritual and historical significance of these moments," he wrote.
The archbishop also cited plans to broadcast Popetown, a cartoon that satirises the Pope as a childish pensioner, and "the hounding of the Archbishop of Westminster last year by the Today programme and Newsnight".
"We do not object to probing questions. We do object to rudeness and prejudice," he added.
His outburst comes in the wake of the highly critical Hutton report, which widely condemned the BBC's practices.
And he described the former BBC reporter Andrew Gilligan's infamous Radio 4 Today programme report as "symptomatic of an increasingly cavalier attitude on part of some at the BBC".
"I have some sympathy for Mr Gilligan. I have less sympathy for those in the corporation who have encouraged a tabloid culture which has seen the world's most distinguished broadcasting organisation employ tactics and standards unworthy of it," he wrote.
The BBC defended its religious coverage.
"The BBC is always keen to ensure that all faiths are reflected across our output and reported accurately," said a spokeswoman.
"We would be happy to respond to Archbishop Conti about any concerns he has about our output directly rather than through the media."
The archbishop's concerns echo those expressed last year by the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Birmingham and a rising figure in the church hierarchy, who accused the BBC of being "hostile" towards the Catholic church.
The criticisms reflect anger in the Catholic community over aggressive accusations on Today and Newsnight on BBC2 about past mishandling of child abuse accusations.
Separately, the Conservative MP David Amess has tabled a parliamentary motion noting "with concern the BBC's bias related to anti-religious views, particularly in relation to the Roman Catholic church".
A "significant number" of Catholics had been dropped without explanation from Radio 4's Thought for the Day slot and the Archbishop of Westminster Cormac Murphy-O'Connor had been subjected to "a series of attacks" on the Today programme, said Mr Amess.
He also criticised BBC1's Panorama for a programme called Sex and the Holy City, which he said had blamed the Pope's opposition to condoms for the spread of HIV infection across the world.
Mr Amess called on the Culture Secretary, Tessa Jowell, "to urge the governors of the BBC to ensure that any new director general pursues a policy resulting in thorough research on all matters of public policy and not simply to produce propaganda programmes to promote their own views".