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	Cardinal Steps up Quit Call Defence Press Association March 15, 2010 http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jCMV0Sa83ztpGk-xBctdhaI9xqGw IRELAND -- The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, facing calls to resign over revelations that he did not report complaints against a paedophile priest to police, has said that he will only step down if told to by the Pope. Catholic primate Cardinal Sean Brady defended his role at a 1975 meeting where children abused by sex offender Father Brendan Smyth were asked to take a vow of silence. For the second day in a row, he resisted calls for his resignation and said that, while he would act differently now if faced with the same situation, he had obeyed church law at the time by reporting his findings to a bishop. Colm O'Gorman, who founded child abuse support group One In Four, said Dr Brady rose through the ranks in the Catholic Church hierarchy while Smyth continued to rape and abuse children for 18 years. Asked why he did not see it as a moral obligation to ensure the police were alerted, the Catholic primate said: "Yes, I knew that these were crimes, but I did not feel that it was my responsibility to denounce the actions of Brendan Smyth to the police." He said he had helped gather evidence for the church to stop Smyth operating as a priest, and that thereafter it was the relevant bishop, plus Smyth's religious order, who had responsibility for the case. "Now I know with hindsight that I should have done more, but I thought at the time I was doing what I was required to do. "Not just that, but most effectively, I can tell you, I acted with great urgency to get that evidence and to produce it and I believed that in doing so I was following the most effective route to have this stopped and that was my main concern and always has been - the safety of children," he said. Pressed on the calls for his resignation, he added: "I will only resign if asked by the Holy Father." Asked if he had reconsidered resigning as a result of criticisms made since his initial refusal to step down on Sunday, he said: "Certainly not. I have heard other calls for me to stay. I have been very heartened by those calls, calls of support, to stay and to continue the work of addressing this most difficult problem."
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