The leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has dismissed allegations over paedophile priests and attacked the media's coverage.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said he had not turned a blind eye to paedophile priests while bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

In his letter to The Times, he also denied allegations in the newspaper that victims had been paid "hush money" by the Church.

Many others feel deeply concerned by the apparently relentless attacks by parts of the media on their faith

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor

Rounding on the "welter of accusation, allegation and innuendo", the cardinal said the media was guilty of a "relentless attack".

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor has ridden out criticisms since it was revealed in 2000 that he had appointed priest Michael Hill to the chaplaincy of Gatwick Airport despite being warned he posed a serious risk to children.

Calls for his resignation intensified this week after BBC and Times investigations into his time as bishop of the Arundel and Brighton diocese.

Released in 2000 after a three-year sentence for child abuse, Hill was sentenced to five years in jail on Thursday after admitting more offences against boys in his care.

New guidelines

In the letter to The Times, the cardinal said all allegations made against priests in his diocese had been investigated either by social services or the police.

He said new guidelines meant priests would now be removed if allegations were well-founded but did not lead to a conviction.

But the cardinal said the failure to deal with such cases in the 1980s had been on the part of society rather as well as the Church, with the full, compulsive nature of paedophilia not yet known.

Michael Hill will be sentenced on Thursday

The BBC examined the cases of four priests who had serious allegations made against them in the diocese during the cardinal's tenure, and found three had been allowed to continue in their pastoral duties while being investigated.

The cardinal apologised for the suffering caused at the hands of Hill, saying: "My decision to appoint Michael Hill to the chaplaincy at Gatwick airport, after receiving conflicting psychiatric reports regarding his condition, was a mistake.

"I am deeply sorry for the damage he has done, and to the extent that my decision contributed to any of that damage."

But he decried the way the media was covering the scandal, saying: "Hush money is a deliberate misnomer.

"Compensation is agreed between solicitors acting in a professional capacity, and in accordance with agreed norms."

The cardinal added: "You also suggest that some may feel a sense of betrayal arising from mistakes the Church has made has made in the past, including in relation to paedophilia.

"I suggest in turn that many others feel deeply concerned by the apparently relentless attacks by parts of the media on their faith, and on the Church in which they continue to believe."