Cardinal Nichols thanked the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission on Friday for giving "a clear picture of the work done in Safeguarding in the Catholic Church today".
He said: "A glance at those reports tells a story of progress made, difficulties encountered, effort expended and challenges that lie ahead."
While acknowledging the progress that has already been made, Cardinal Nichols stressed the importance of heeding the steps that the report has highlighted.
"At the same time the report is totally without any sense of complacency. The challenge of our response to the presence of sexual abuse within the Church continues to be urgent and of vital importance: heeding the voice and experience of survivors and responding to them; responding promptly to the surfacing of allegations; cooperating fully with public authorities; strengthening programmes of education and awareness raising."
The president of the Bishops' Conference of England & Wales also thanked all those involved in safe guarding provision across the Church saying: "The clarity and detail contained in the report is testimony to the hard work of many, many people, across our parishes and dioceses, mostly dedicated and trained volunteers.
"This is a story that needs to be heard."
Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.