Child protection lawyers have called for a public inquiry into an alleged cover-up by churches of widespread sexual and physical abuse of children in England and Wales.

In a letter to The Times last week, they claimed that the implementation of new ‘safeguarding’ policies has been ‘tentative (and) patchy’, and has met with ‘institutional resistance at senior levels in the church hierarchy’.

The Catholic church has denied these allegations, pointing to the 2001 Nolan independent review and the 2006 Cumberlege Commission, which investigated child abuse by Catholic priests and put in place measures that ensured transparency and brought offenders to justice.

David Greenwood, partner at Yorkshire firm Jordans, said the Vatican issued a decree in 1962 requiring bishops to keep reports of abuse from the police. This edict was endorsed in 2001 by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now the Pope.

Greenwood said: ‘The Catholic church is obstructing justice by hiding away documents and there is now a desperate need for a public inquiry.’

Manchester firm Pannone partner Richard Scorer, a member of the Association of Child Abuse Lawyers, said: ‘There is a tension in the church between canon law and the laws of our society.’

However, Father Kristian Paver, canon law safeguarding consultant to the general secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said: ‘Nothing new can be discovered by a public hearing. The Holy See long ago sent a letter to all bishops reminding them that they must abide by the legal requirements of every country.’