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	O'Gorman Lashes Pope on Bbc Show Fury over Sex Abuse 'Cover-Ups' By Sean Murphy One in Four [Ireland] September 29, 2006 http://www.oneinfour.org/news/news2006/bbcshow/ Child sex abuse survivor Colm O'Gorman has blasted Pope Benedict XVI over decades of heartless Church "cover-ups" in a new TV documentary. He lashed church leaders for protecting evil paedophile priests across the world. "This didn't happen just in Ireland. Children in America and in developing countries everywhere suffered because of a systematic deliberate avoidance of the truth," Mr O'Gorman told The Star. "Pope Benedict is the head of the Catholic Church and has presided over years of child suffering. He has absolute responsibility and absolute authority. "Nothing has changed since he became Pontiff. What happened in Ireland 30 years ago is still happening in places like Brazil today." Campaigner Colm (40) founded charity One in Four to support sufferers of abuse and sexual violence. The organisation – which estimates only three in every 1,000 sex crimes against Irish children end in prosecution bids – was instrumental in the establishment of the Ferns Inquiry, the State's investigation into clerical sexual abuse. "Ferns is not unique to Ireland. The Vatican has failed right across the world," Colm yesterday insisted. "In developing countries like Brazil, the same thing is happening, but the Vatican fails again. It has a clear policy of suppressing, hiding facts, intimidating victims. "It sent a priest facing a criminal conviction for alleged sex abuse in a large city to a small rural village where he allegedly repeatedly raped a five-year-old boy. "Pope Benedict – who was then Cardinal Ratzinger – wanted exclusive control of Church sex abuse cases, but did nothing." Colm, who received The Star's Best of Irish award in conjunction with TV3 and Waterford Crystal in 2002, said his scathing attack on Pope Benedict can be seen on BBC's Panorama documentary this Sunday night. "People watching the film will see that the Vatican and Pope Benedict have not fulfilled obligations under international law to protect children," said Mr O'Gorman. "Pope Benedict must now implement full and appropriate action because the cover-up must stop. He has absolutely presided over this cover-up."
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