The Archbishop of Westminster has backed the Polish bishops in calling for a total ban on abortion.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols was preaching at a Mass at Ealing Abbey, west London, to celebrate the 1050th anniversary of the Baptism of Poland, when the country's first ruler and his court converted from paganism to Christianity.

Nichols described abortion as "the destruction of an innocent human life and a tragic intervention into a woman's life".

He added: "Some want to argue that abortion can be a right in conscience. This cannot be so because abortion is always the destruction of innocent life. As Pope Francis says: 'Every child growing within the mother's womb is part of the eternal plan of God the Father, with a place in God's heart from all eternity... We need to see it with the eyes of God, who always looks beyond mere appearances'."

Abortion in Poland is currently banned except for when the woman's life or health is in danger, when the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act such as rape, or when the foetus has failed to develop properly.

The Polish bishops want these exceptions removed so abortion is banned altogether. This has prompted protests and rallies.

Nichols said: "We pray that the Catholic faith may continue to inspire your country and that the strength, generosity and sense of sacrifice which springs from the very heart of this faith may long be a fundamental part of your national characteristics. Certainly this country has benefitted from those qualities, at our greatest hour of need, just as our country continues to benefit, in these days, by your contributions in so many fields."

The Cardinal applauded the Polish bishops for urging the government and other leaders to launch programmes to help those with profoundly sick children, those with children who have severe special needs and those with children conceived "unwillingly", sometimes in violence.

"This appeal is so right. This is the work that we all need to do to create the circumstances in which recourse to abortion is recognised for what it is: the destruction of an innocent human life and a tragic intervention into a woman's life," he said.

Nichols said Pope Francis recognises that often difficult circumstances can cause a lack of freedom that leads a woman to the painful and agonising decision to undergo an abortion.

"This can never really be the best choice as it leads to a dreadful wound in the mother and the destruction of innocent human life. God's mercy can heal this wound, especially through the Sacrament of Reconciliation with repentance and desire for a new start.

"At this time, then, we work and pray, with your bishops, to overcome these terrible circumstances so that those trapped in them never think to include in their actions the destruction of innocent human life. This is a work worthy of this great anniversary."

There are thousands of Polish Catholics in the UK served pastorally by more than 200 churches in the Polish mission, which is considered part of the Polish Catholic Church. Many arrived after Poland joined the EU in 2004.