City banker Simon Hodgkinson, whose wife Olivia has been linked with Bishop Kieran Conry, called on Catholic leaders to act.

Demanding that the former Bishop of Arundel be barred from the priesthood, Mr Hodgkinson is compiling a formal complaint over claims about Bishop Conry’s intimate friendships with women in recent years. 

Mr Hodgkinson will submit his complaint to the Papal Nuncio, the Pope’s representative in the UK, along with Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the head of the Catholic church in England and Wales, and the Vicar General, one of the church’s most powerful figures.

The complaint will state that 63-year-old Bishop Conry broke his vows of celibacy and flouted the church’s central teaching on adultery and the sanctity of marriage and family life. It will also claim that the Bishop took advantage of his position of authority with women who had turned to him for spiritual comfort and advice after marital problems. 

Bishop Conry resigned last month as details of his close friendships with women began to emerge. 

He admitted to having an affair with a woman six years ago, but denied any physical relationship with mother of two Mrs Hodgkinson.

Mr Hodgkinson’s advisors claim that Bishop Conry has been intimately involved with four women since 2001.

The 44-year-old businessman is being helped by Graham Baldwin, of the charity Catalyst – which helps individuals whose family life has been affected by religious or cult groups.

Mr Baldwin said: “Bishop Conry has not only broken his vows of celibacy, which are central to the Catholic priesthood. More importantly he has, by his own admission on at least one occasion, committed adultery with a married woman, which in the eyes of the church is a mortal sin.

“As a result his behaviour raises fundamental questions about his position as a priest and his ability to look after his flock.”

He said the cleric needs to be defrocked and removed from the priesthood.

Mrs Hodgkinson, 43, is a teacher at a school where the bishop was a frequent visitor.

Mr Hodgkinson said of the former bishop: “His behaviour has been appalling. To think that this is a person who people turn to for marriage advice is unbelievable. It makes him a hypocrite.”

He said the Bishop and his wife exchanged hundreds of texts a day over a period of several months following a trip to Lourdes last year. 

The pair allegedly also exchanged dozens of letters where they discussed their feelings for each other. 

Mr Baldwin added: “This is not the kind of behaviour one would expect from a church figure in a position of authority whose duty would be to encourage a couple whose marriage is going through a difficult period to reconcile with each other.

“The Bishop was a man who knew the marriage was in trouble and, instead of trying to help, he began writing love letters to this woman. It is an abuse of his position and a betrayal of his friendship with both her and her husband, who he christened into the church four years ago.”

Bishop Conry, whose diocese covers Sussex and Surrey, quit last month admitting he had been “unfaithful” to his promises as a Catholic priest.

He said his actions “were not illegal and did not involve minors”.

He apologised to those “hurt by my actions and then to all of those inside and outside the diocese who will be shocked, hurt and saddened”.

He said his resignation would take immediate effect, and he would now take time to consider his future.

The statement did not specify in what way he had been “unfaithful” to his promises. 

His statement ended: “I am sorry for the shame that I have brought on the diocese and the Church and I ask for your prayers and forgiveness.”