'Bishop Basilius' escorted out of hall after cardinal error

But the tall man in the cassock and black trilby from the little-known “Corpus Dei” organisation was, in fact, German man Ralph Napierski.

He preaches “12 steps to God” on YouTube and, in his spare time, practises “Jesus yoga”.

“Bishop Basilius” passed a security point and was shaking hands with Cardinal Sergio Sebiastiana outside the Vatican’s Pope Paul VI hall when the Swiss Guards stepped in.

What caught their eyes? His too-short cassock? His black runners? Or that the purple sash was really a scarf? Either way, the guards escorted him out. Later, the German Bishops’ Conference condemned the impostor as someone known to them for several ranting letters.

On his colourful website, Bishop Basilius claims to be part of the “Independent Catholic Church” and describes himself as a “slave and apostle like St Paul” a successor to the “aposles (sic) send (sic) by Jesus Christ himself”.

He lists himself in apostolic succession to Vietnamese archbishop Pierre Martin Ngo Dinh Thuc and, on his website, has apparently excommunicated Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the Catholic Church in Germany.

Meanwhile back in Rome, the real cardinals continued yesterday to ponder their options.