Vatican won't revoke sex celeb honour

London - The Vatican says it cannot rescind the papal knighthood awarded to television star Jimmy Savile, who emerged as an alleged child sex predator after his death.

The Catholic Church of England said it has contacted the Holy See to ask it to posthumously revoke Savile's honour in recognition of the "deep distress" of the victims allegedly abused by Savile, a well-known BBC children's television host who died last year at the age of 84.

But the Vatican spokesperson, the Reverend Federico Lombardi, said on Saturday that the names of people who receive the knighthood don't appear in its yearbook and that the honour dies with the individual.

Lombardi said Savile never would have received the honour had the truth about his behaviour been known.