The Archbishop of Warsaw has shocked the Catholic world by resigning less than an hour before he was due to be installed.

Stanislaw Wielgus has been caught up in controversial circumstances, and has been at the centre of a communist-era spying row; Weilgus recently admitted collaborating with the secret communist police.

He announced his resignation in person at a special Mass that was ironically scheduled to be for his installation.

A statement has also been released that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the archbishop's resignation.

Following the decision, the Pope has asked Cardinal Jozef Glemp, Archbishop Wielgus' predecessor, to return to his post temporarily until a long term replacement can be set up.

In a publicly released statement, Wielgus acknowledged he had not been truthful about the matter in the past. The news was read out in churches across Poland on Saturday.

The resignation was announced on Sunday morning, after urgent talks had taken place between Polish and Vatican officials throughout the night, the BBC has reported.

During the service at which he announced his decision, the archbishop had tears in his eyes as he told that he had reached the decision after deep reflection.

Previously, the decision to appoint Archbishop Wielgus, was greeted with divided opinion across the majority Catholic population in Poland.

After controversy continued to build up around his election, Archbishop Wielgus finally admitted he had had contacts with security agents, but he also denied informing on priests.

The Roman Catholic Church is highly influential in Poland, and has been since it played a core role in the fight against communism in the country and worldwide. Especially Pope John Paul II of Poland cemented the Church's position in the country's society.

However, it has also been estimated that up to 15 per cent of clergy in Poland agreed to inform on their colleagues during the communist reign.