Vatican attacks media claim Pope 'failed to act' on sex abuse

The Vatican is actively defending Pope Benedict against accusations that, as a Vatican official in the 1990s, he failed to act against an American priest accused of molesting children.

The Vatican newspaper earlier spoke of an 'ignoble' attempt by the media to smear the Pope.

Newshour looks in-depth at the claims and counter-claims, with contributions from:

• The head of the Catholic church in Britain, the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols

• David Willey, BBC Rome correspondent and long-time follower of Vatican affairs

• The BBC's Steve Rosenberg from Pope Benedict's home town, Traunstein in Bavaria

• Some Catholics in Lagos, Nigeria

• Denis Sewell, a British Catholic writer and commentator

First broadcast 26 March 2010