The Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor has been urged to prevent the closure of a nursing home for the elderly.

Relatives of elderly residents presented a 2,500-name petition at Westminster Cathedral on Tuesday protesting about an alleged "wall of silence" from nuns who run the St Francis home in Braintree, Essex.

The Franciscan nuns announced the home would close in June and all residents - which includes one aged 101 years - would have to leave by January next year.

Noel Riley, vice-chairman of the appeals committee which is raising money for the home, said the nuns and their representatives had not talked to campaigners about the future of the home.

We feel that they are dumping their moral responsibility and that is why we feel so sore about it

Noel Riley, appeals committee

Ms Riley said: "In about 20 years, £1m has been raised for the home.

"We are not happy for the home to be sold, probably to a property developer and the money we have raised just to be subsumed into something else.

"We have raised that money for the nursing home and not for the convent funds.

"We feel that they are dumping their moral responsibility and that is why we feel so sore about it."

St Francis home in Braintree

Stephen Wallis, spokesman for the home, said the average age of the nuns was 76, and they did not have the personnel to carry on running the home.

"The community, which is a charity, has had over the past several years now been running very large losses which have to be supported from the funds of the charity.

"The nuns are not vacating Braintree and running off.

"It is unfortunate that they just cannot go on any longer."

A spokesman for Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said: "According to Canon law, the Cardinal has no jurisdiction over the day-to-day running of the religious orders in England and Wales.

"The Cardinal hopes that there will be a satisfactory outcome that will benefit all the parties concerned as soon as possible."