Gay rights groups condemn cardinal's sex abuse coments
Gay rights campaigners today rejected claims by the Vatican's second-in-command that child sex abuse by priests is linked to homosexuality.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's Secretary of State, told a news conference in Chile that research had shown a relationship between homosexuality and paedophilia. He also denied celibacy was to blame for child abuse.
"Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and paedophilia," he said.
"But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a relation between homosexuality and paedophilia. That is true. That is the problem."
Peter Tatchell, spokesman for the Protest the Pope campaign against Pope Benedict's visit to Britain in September, denounced the remarks as "really sick".
"The Vatican is trying to deflect attention from the sex crimes of Catholic clergy by blaming gay people. This is really sick," he said.
"The truth is that priests and bishops abused girls and boys alike. There is absolutely no connection whatsoever between paedophilia and loving, consenting adult gay relationships.
"It shows the depths of dishonesty and homophobia that infects the Vatican at the highest level. The Vatican leadership is morally bankrupt and is rightly scorned by all decent Catholics."
Tony Green, spokesman for the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, rejected the cardinal's remarks and said the Catholic church was in a "dreadful mess" over the issue.
"As I heard someone saying on the news, they have not learnt the basic principle - when you are in a hole, stop digging," he said.
"There is no evidence that homosexual men are more likely to commit these offences than heterosexual men proportionate to their place in the population."
The church is facing calls to drop its celibacy rule for priests amid revelations of sex abuse. The Pope has faced accusations about his handling of child abuse cases during his time as head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and as Archbishop of Munich.
