An American diocese has said it is investigating the incident of a pro-life priest who placed the body of an aborted baby on an altar and broadcast it on Facebook Live to get people to vote for Donald Trump, causing what the diocese called “the desecration of the altar”.

Bishop Patrick Zurek of Amarillo said: “We believe that no one who is pro-life can exploit a human body for any reason, especially the body of a foetus.” Its use for political purposes was “against the dignity of human life,” he added.