Peter Tatchell's eagerly-anticipated Pope documentary will be broadcast on 13 September – three days before the pontiff's State Visit to Britain.
The hour-long examination of Pope Benedict XVI, broadcast on Channel 4 at 8pm, follows months of growing concern over the papal's visit.
Summarising the documentary, Peter Tatchell said: "The programme questions the Pope's policies on a range of issues including his opposition to contraception, condom use and embryonic stem cell research, as well the Pope's mishandling of the child sex abuse scandal, his distortions of the life and ideas of Cardinal Newman and his readmission to the church of the holocaust denier, Bishop Richard Williamson.
"It examines the impact that Benedict XVI's pronouncements have had on both the developing and western world - with filming in the Philippines, plus Italy, Germany and the UK."
Interviewing both critics and supporters of the Pope, many of them Catholics, the programme explores Benedict's personal, religious and political journey since the 1930s, from liberal theologian to conservative Pontiff.
"Our programme is not anti-Catholic. I have great sympathy with grassroots Catholics who want a more open, democratic, accountable, liberal and inclusive church. The We Are Church movement is admirable, as is the UK group, Catholic Voices for Reform. I salute them.
"Some of the inspirations of my own human rights campaigns have been Catholic humanitarians, including the editor of the Catholic Worker, Dorothy Day, US anti-war activists, Fathers Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador and theorists of Catholic liberation theology such as Gustavo Gutierrez and Leonardo Boff," said Tatchell.
Pope Benedict XVI caused outrage earlier this year when he condemned gay marriage in a public address to
half a million people. During his speech at the 13 May annual mass at Fatima’s Sanctuary in
Portugal, the 83-year-old told crowds that marriage should be between a
man and a woman.
He described gay marriage as the “most insidious and dangerous
challenges that today confront the common good," before going on to
express appreciation for anti-abortion campaigners.