As the Pope was speaking, the weather suddenly broke
20 August 2011 Last updated at 17:33 ET
A rainstorm has disrupted a keynote homily being delivered by Pope Benedict XVI to a million-strong crowd of pilgrims at an air base near Madrid.
Losing his skull cap in the gale, and sheltered by an umbrella, the 84-year-old commended the crowd for having faith "stronger than the rain".
Many in the crowd had waited for hours in baking heat for his appearance.
The pilgrims are in the Spanish capital for a six-day international Catholic youth festival.
The cost of the event, amid high unemployment and spending cuts, drew heated protests from some in the city.
However, the event's organisers say most costs will be met by the pilgrims themselves.
Celibacy message
During the day, firefighters had been hosing down the pilgrims at Cuatro Vientos air base while they waited in in temperatures of nearly 40C.
But as the Pope was speaking during the evening, the weather suddenly broke, drenching the crowd.
An assistant tried to shelter him with a large white umbrella, which shook in the wind.
The Pope, his white hair ruffled, had to abandon the main part of his homily but told the pilgrims: "Your faith is stronger than the rain."
He will return to the air base on Sunday for the final Mass of his visit.
Earlier on Saturday, the Pope celebrated Mass for at least 4,500 future priests at Madrid's Almudena Cathedral.
Priests, he said, must understand their "decision to live in celibacy for the kingdom of heaven", adding that men should approach the priesthood only "if you are completely determined to exercise it in obedience to the Church's precepts".
The Pope drew thunderous applause when he announced that he would bestow a rare honour on Spain's Saint John of Avila by proclaiming him a doctor of the Church.
Only 33 doctors of the Church have been proclaimed since 1295.
On Friday riot police confronted protesters in Madrid's city centre, as priests and teachers hurried young Catholic pilgrims down side streets.
The protest began as the Pope, joined by hundreds of thousands of supporters, took part in a Way of the Cross procession, in memory of the crucifixion of Christ.
The BBC's Sarah Rainsford says wherever the Pope goes, hundreds of thousands of ecstatic Catholics are there to meet him.
Celebrations for World Youth Day 2011 began on Tuesday evening with a giant open-air Mass where about 800 bishops, archbishops and cardinals - along with 8,000 priests - tended to the congregation.
The Pope arrived in Spain on Thursday and was greeted at Madrid's Barajas airport by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia. He has also meet Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero.
[Australian]-Catholic Church allegedly hid crimes of paedophile priests
.. embedded video .. Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Broadcast: 08/11/2012
Reporter: Suzanne Smith
........ A senior serving police officer, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox, claims the Catholic church covered up crimes of paedophile priests, silenced investigations and destroyed crucial evidence to avoid prosecutions in the Newcastle-Hunter area of New South Wales. ........
Transcript
TONY JONES, PRESENTER: Tonight a senior serving police officer alleges the Catholic Church covers up crimes of paedophile priests, silences investigations and destroys crucial evidence to avoid prosecutions.
Detective chief inspector Peter Fox has spent more than 30 years as an investigator and has been at the centre of major police operations in the Newcastle-Hunter area of New South Wales.
He's written a letter to the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, calling for a Royal Commission.
Mirroring police evidence given to the Victorian inquiry, he says in his letter, "Many police are frustrated by this sinister behaviour which will continue until someone stops it."
Well coming up in our interview tonight, Peter Fox will reveal much more of what he describes as a network protecting paedophile priests.
First, this report by Suzanne Smith.
SUZANNE SMITH, REPORTER: Detective chief inspector Peter Fox spoke at a rally of victims and their families in Newcastle last September.
PETER FOX, NSW POLICE (Sept. 2012): I've been on the police force for 34 years. I'm not a kid that just joined yesterday. I've been involved in investigating the clergy for about 20 of those. There are very good reasons, let me tell you, that we need a Royal Commission.
SUZANNE SMITH: To understand the enormity of the abuse in this one small area of NSW, you need only to look at the statistics for the Newcastle-Maitland Diocese:
Newcastle-Maitland has 400 known victims of child sexual abuse by clergy.
11 clergy have been charged and convicted since 1995.
Six catholic teachers have been convicted.
Three priests on trial at the moment.
For the first time ever a priest was charged this year with concealing the crimes of another.
12 priests involved in substantial compensation claims.
And, it had the highest known compensation payout to a victim, the amount of $3 million.
And today, two police strike forces are investigating whether Church officials were involved in covering up crimes.
Not all the clergy are fully cooperating with police.
But the Premier, Barry O'Farrell, has repeatedly said the police have the investigation under control.
BARRY O'FARRELL, NSW PREMIER: I'm not interested in a made-for-TV moment announcing a Royal Commission. I'm interested in getting people to pay the penalty of the abuse of children, the taking from young people their future.
SUZANNE SMITH: But Peter Fox believes police prosecutions on their own cannot deal with the Church structures and systems for reporting abuse.
PETER FOX (Sept. 2012): I don't accept Mr O'Farrell's comment that the police force has it all under control.
SUZANNE SMITH: Peter Fox was responsible for the conviction of the paedophile priest Father Jim Fletcher.
In 2003, the NSW Ombudsman launched an investigation after a victim's mother complained about why Father Fletcher had not been stood down by the Church and removed from contact with children during the police investigation.
The NSW Ombudsman's office produced a report in 2004 that was highly critical of the Catholic Church's reporting systems. The Catholic Church received a copy of that report, but the victim's mother did not. Peter Fox is calling on the Ombudsman's office to release that report to the public in the interests of transparency.
A spokeswoman for the Ombudsman says the report cannot be released due to privacy provisions in the Act.
Peter Fox also encountered alleged serious issues of cover-up in his investigation of Father Denis McAlinden. The priest had arrived in Australia from Ireland in 1949 and for four decades he was transferred from parish to parish and even outside Australia to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the United Kingdom.
This NSW Department of Public Prosecutions is now looking at whether McAlinden's crimes were covered up by three senior members of the clergy, including the general secretary of the Australian Catholics Bishops Conference, Brian Lucas, the Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson and former Bishop of Newcastle, Michael Malone.
Detective chief inspector Peter Fox was in the middle of investigating this matter in 2010 when he was directed to hand over all his evidence to other officers, including a statement from a critical witness:
PETER FOX (Sept. 2012): I sat down with that woman I think for about seven three, four hour sessions and typed up a statement. And let me tell you, it's explosive. And the material I put together and finally when I did contact the Police Department, I was directed to hand that statement over to other people, cease my investigations on that matter and to hand over other documents.
SUZANNE SMITH: Lateline asked NSW Premier O'Farrell for a specific response to Peter Fox's letter to him. His spokesman released this statement:
SPOKESMAN FOR NSW PREMIER BARRY O'FARRELL (male voiceover): "... Police investigations are ongoing and he won't interfere with that ... the best result is successful prosecutions and no-one should keep these offences secret ...".
A senior serving police officer has challenged New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell to set up a Royal Commission into sex abuse in the Catholic Church, alleging the Church hierarchy covers up for paedophile priests, silences investigations, and destroys crucial evidence to avoid prosecutions.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox has spent more than 30 years as an investigator and has been at the centre of major police operations in the Newcastle-Hunter region of New South Wales.
Mirroring police evidence given to the Victorian inquiry into the Catholic Church launched this year, he says in his letter: "Many police are frustrated by this sinister behaviour which will continue until someone stops it."
"I can testify from my own experience that the church covers up, silences victims, hinders police investigations, alerts offenders, destroys evidence and moves priests to protect the good name of the church. None of that stops at the Victorian border."
Should there be a Royal Commission into child sex abuse by the Catholic Church? Have your say. .. [ looks log-in required ]
Abuse statistics for the Newcastle-Maitland diocese paint an ugly picture:
* 400 known victims of child sexual abuse by clergy * 11 clergy charged and convicted since 1995 * 6 Catholic teachers convicted since 1995 * 3 priests currently on trial * First priest charged this year with concealing the crimes of another * 12 priests involved in substantial compensation claims * Highest known compensation payout to a victim - $3 million
Two police strike forces are investigating whether church officials were involved in covering up crimes.
"I had other priests that hadn't been charged with anything removing evidence and destroying it before we were able to secure it, and we just went around in circles." Peter Fox
Not all clergy are fully cooperating with police, however the Premier has repeatedly said police have the investigation under control.
But Chief Inspector Fox believes police prosecutions on their own cannot deal with the Catholic Church's structures and systems for reporting abuse.
"In many cases that I came across, one priest who had previously faced paedophile charges was donating parish money to the legal support of another priest to defend himself from those charges," he told Lateline.
"I had other priests that hadn't been charged with anything removing evidence and destroying it before we were able to secure it, and we just went around in circles.
"The greatest frustration is that there is so much power and organisation behind the scenes that police don't have the powers to be able to go in and seize documents and have them [the church] disclose things to us."
Chief Inspector Fox says he has "definite information" of alleged cover-ups by a number of diocese bishops.
"It potentially goes even higher than that," he said. Alleged cover-up
Chief Inspector Fox was responsible for the conviction of paedophile priest Father Jim Fletcher, who had not been stood down or removed from contact with children during the police investigation.
Also, he encountered alleged serious issues of cover-up in his investigation of another priest, Father Denis McAlinden.
The priest had arrived in Australia from Ireland in 1949 and for four decades he was transferred from parish to parish, and even outside Australia.
The NSW Department of Public Prosecutions is now looking at whether McAlinden's crimes were covered up by three senior members of the clergy, including the general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops conference, Brian Lucas, the Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson and former bishop of Newcastle, Michael Malone.
Chief Inspector Fox was in the middle of investigating this matter in 2010 when he was directed to hand over all his evidence to other officers, including a statement from a critical witness.
"When I was directed to hand that statement over I described her statement as ... explosive. And I still describe that statement as explosive. What is disclosed in that is monumental." Peter Fox
He says the statement was "explosive".
"When I was directed to hand that statement over I described her statement as ... explosive. And I still describe that statement as explosive," he said.
"What is disclosed in that is monumental."
Chief Inspector Fox says police have sent brief papers to the Director of Public Prosecutions, which are being considered.
He says an archbishop, a bishop and a priest have been implicated in alleged cover-up.
Northern Region Commander Assistant Commissioner Carlene York told Lateline that Chief Inspector Fox was directed to hand over his work because of a new taskforce in a different Local Area Command (LAC).
"Strike Force Lantle was established to ensure that a thorough and coordinated investigation was undertaken in relation to the allegations raised," she said.
"At that time, Detective Chief Inspector Fox was a crime manager at Port Stephens Local Area Command and was informed the strike force would be fully investigating the allegations.
"The strike force was undertaken by detectives from the Local Area Command responsible for the investigation, that being Newcastle City.
"It would be unusual for a crime manager from a neighbouring LAC to work on a Strike Force in another LAC."
Chief Inspector Fox says a Royal Commission into allegations of abuse and cover-up within the Catholic Church is needed.
"There's so much that the police force can't do. We don't have power," he said.
"Sometimes these people [victims] aren't up to going through to taking it to court and we've got to sometimes take that hard pill and sit back and say, "OK, it's frustrating that we won't get this guy, but we can't put them through that ordeal."
The degree of courage those that do come back and say, "Listen, I want to finish that statement. I want to see him taken to court." How we can sit back and say they do not deserve our fullest support?
Because, my God, they've got some courage to be able to stand up and do what they've got to do and say what they've got to say in court and relive that ordeal.
Whether you're the Premier of NSW or you're just somebody sitting back watching this on TV tonight, it's got to move you. It can't but move you." Peter Fox
Lateline asked the NSW Premier for a specific response to Chief Inspector Fox's letter to him.
His spokesman said police investigations are ongoing and Mr O'Farrell will not interfere with that.
"The best result is successful prosecutions and no-one should keep these offences secret," the spokesman said.
This morning former bishop of Newcastle William Wright told Radio National that the culture within the Church had changed.
"I'm sure that as I have been annoyed with many things down the years, he's [also] had those experiences," he said.
"All I would say is that we've come a long way in a fairly short time and those things are not true of this diocese or broadly of the church in New South Wales now."
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