Photographer Terence Wynn: ''I am suggesting that this is worth investigation''

The two photographs were taken at exactly the same time during the service.

Terence Wynn, a photographer for the Northern Cross newspaper, took his photograph from the television.

And he said the same image appeared on another photograph taken at exactly the same time - and also from television - by a priest in Hartlepool.

Mr Wynn believes the translucent image resembles the statue of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Lourdes, which is in the grotto at Lourdes.

The Our Lady of Lourdes statue....

He said: "What I see is an image on the left hand side of the coffin which looks to me as though it is female and with its hands joined in prayer.

"If you were to take tracing paper and trace round [a picture of] the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes it would almost identical to the outline of the unclear picture."

And the image on Mr Wynn's photograph

Cardinal Hume, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, died three months ago.

Mr Wynn said he was unable to get a place at the requiem mass at Westminster Cathedral and took photographs from the television instead.

He said: "I put a camera on a tripod and took photographs throughout the requiem mass. Afterwards I had the roll processed and it was only when I saw the print that I noticed something peculiar on the left hand corner."

Both photos arrived on the desk of the Northern Cross' editor on the same day.

Mr Wynn said: "The editor realised that we had obviously pressed the exposure button at exactly the same time because the priests [in the photograph] were in exactly the same position."

Merits investigation

The newspaper has now printed the photographs and Mr Wynn says the church should investigate the photos.

He said: "I am sure the Catholic Church is very sceptical - it always is.

"I'm suggesting that this is worth investigation, but on the other hand it may be no more than a trick of the light.