No human suffering is beyond the mercy of God, the Archbishop of Westminster said today.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols was speaking to Christians and members of other faiths on the annual Good Friday walk in London.

Cardinal Nichols said: "The Father who stooped low to raise his dead son, dead in our flesh, to raise him up, stoops in that same mercy and love towards every single one of his sons and daughters.

"There is no human being, no suffering, no tragedy, no heartache, no outrage, that is beyond this stooping mercy of God who wants to raise up everyone who he has created in his own image and likeness."

A collection was taken to raise funds for The Passage, a charity that provides resources to encourage, inspire and challege homeless people to transform their lives.

The Good Friday walk began at Methodist Central Hall where hundreds gathered to sing hymns and mark Jesus' betrayal and arrest in Gethsemane.

The walkers marched in silence, their footsteps marked only by the solemn beat of drums played by children from St Vincent de Paul primary school in Victoria.

The cross was carried by people from the Passage charity that serves the homeless. 

The theme of homelessness and rough sleepers was a central theme of the walk. The Conservative Party's candidate for London Mayor, Zac Goldsmith, who was on the walk, told Christian Today: "London is a very prosperous and very wealthy city, one of the most successful cities in the world, probably the most important city in the world. It is offensive and wrong that there are so many people sleeping rough in London. It's just not something that sits easily with anyone."