A priest at the centre of the latest child abuse scandal to rock the Catholic Church has been moved from his Sussex parish.

It is claimed that the un-named priest sexually abused a schoolgirl and the case was then overlooked by the church hierarchy.

The matter came to light when it was revealed Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who was Bishop of Arundel and Brighton at the time of the allegation and is now Archbishop of Westminster, head of the country's Catholics, had forgotten about the case and the priest remained in his position.

The church has refused to identify the priest but last night it confirmed he had served in a Sussex parish. He strenuously denies the allegations.

Diocesan information officer Stuart Geary said: "He is no longer in any parish in this diocese. He has been given administrative leave and for his own protection has been moved so the matter can be investigated. Police and social services will be involved as appropriate."

The alleged victim, now a 35-year-old woman who lives in the West Country, claims the priest sexually abused her as a schoolgirl over a five-year period.

She reported the abuse as an adult ten years ago and thought the priest would be sent for retraining and rehabilitation but later discovered he was still in his parish. She said she felt "terribly betrayed" by the church.

Three months ago, Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor announced all outstanding files on priests facing allegations had been handed to an independent solicitor for assessment.

But earlier this week he admitted he "forgot" the case of the teenage girl.

There were calls for his resignation last year over his handling of paedophile priest Michael Hill.

The then Bishop let Hill carry on working despite being warned about the risk he posed to children.

The Right Reverend Kieran Conry, currently Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, is abroad and is expected back today.

Mr Geary said: "Our child protection co-ordinator is seeking a meeting with the Bishop as urgent-ly as possible.

"Once the Bishop is back, we will be looking at a strategy to make sure we never again lose details from a file."