Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor is a good man who did outstanding work when he was Roman Catholic Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.

But he made a mistake when not taking a firmer line over Father Michael Hill, the former Gatwick Airport chaplain who is in jail after pleading guilty at the Old Bailey to six indecent assaults.

Father Hill was a paedophile for many years, who had previous convictions for serious offences and the Bishop was told about concerns over him more than 20 years ago.

It was plain that a man with his uncontrollable impulses should not have been allowed to work as a priest again, yet he was given a job as chaplain in Gatwick.

There is no point in now calling for the Archbishop to resign as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

But he should make it clear that he made an error of judgment over Hill and that no Catholic in a similar position will be allowed to continue as a priest.