Two men were arrested on Easter Sunday after staging a protest in Canterbury Cathedral just as Archbishop Rowan Williams was about to deliver his sermon.

The men, aged 26 and 52 and from Sheffield, held placards and shouted protests about the Archbishop's comments on Sharia law, which governs Islamic life. Police interviewed them under a law dating from 1860 and subsequently charged them with causing a disturbance in a church.

Cathedral press officer Christopher Robinson, who was in the audience, said it was a low key affair and the men were quietly led away by police just seconds after their protest.

"After they had gone the Archbishop changed the start of his sermon and rebutted their allegations and asked the congregation to pause and pray for all Christians who are persecuted for their faith and he then delivered his sermon as expected," Mr Robinson said.