By Nick Pisa
April 15, 2010
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1266153/Catholic-Church-England-Wales-criticises-Vatican-claims-sexual-abuse-priests-linked-homosexuality.html
The Catholic Church in England and Wales last night led the international criticism of the Vatican's second-in-command after he linked sex abuse by priests to homosexuality.
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone sparked controversy this week after he denied celibacy was to blame for the sex scandals rocking the Catholic Church.
Instead, homosexuality and paedophilia were inextricably linked, the Vatican's Secretary of State said.
The Vatican yesterday tried to distance itself from the affair by 'clarifying' Cardinal Bertone's remarks.
It said it was not up to Church authorities to make assertions of a 'psychological or medical nature'.
 |
| Controversy: The Catholic Church in England and Wales has publicly criticised comments made by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone |
But the Catholic bishops in England and Wales went much further by issuing a rare public rebuttal to a senior Vatican figure.
They were joined by the French Government which took the unusual diplomatic step of condemning the 'unacceptable association' made by the Vatican's number two and renewing their pledge to stamp out discrimination.
Father Marcus Stock, general secretary of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said: 'There is no empirical data which concludes that sexual orientation is connected to child sexual abuse.
'The consensus among researchers is that the sexual abuse of children is not a question of sexual "orientation", whether heterosexual or homosexual, but of a disordered attraction or "fixation".
'Many abusers of children have never developed the capacity for mature adult relationships.
'Instead, their sexual attractions focus on children - boys, girls, or both.
'In the sexual abuse of children the issue is the sexual fixation of the abusers, and not their sexual orientation.'
The strident comments from within the Catholic Church is the first time a branch has publically criticised a senior Vatican figure over the recent scandal.
Yesterday the Pope's spokesman Father Federico Lombardi attempted to 'clarify' what Cardinal Bertone said.
'Church authorities do not consider it their responsibility to make general statements of a specifically physiological or medical character, which is why they naturally refer back to experts' study and ongoing research on the subject,' Father Lombardi said.
Referring to statistics indicating some 60 per cent of cases of clerical abuse of minors were committed by gays, Father Lombardi recalled an interview that the head of the Vatican's investigating office, Monsignor Charles Scicluna, had recently given.
The monsignor said 10 per cent of the cases involved paedophilia 'in the strict sense' and 90 per cent involving attraction to adolescents.
Of the latter, Monsignor Scicluna said some 60 per cent were same-sex and 30 per cent attraction to the opposite sex.
Meanwhile, the French government criticised what it saw as an offence to human rights efforts.
'This is an unacceptable association that we condemn,' French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said.
'France reiterates its resolute commitment to the fight against discrimination and prejudice linked to sexual orientation and gender identity.'
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, who came out as a homosexual a decade ago, also expressed his condemnation for what he called 'unexpected' and 'regrettable' comments.
He said the cardinal's 'shocking link' was all the more dangerous because these positions 'deliberately stigmatize an identity and harm the respect for diversity and individual liberty.'
Cardinal Bertone's comments were made at a Chilean press conference on Monday in response to a question about a paedophile priest who had sex with girls, including one who had become pregnant.
The Vatican's Secretary of State said: 'Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no link between celibacy and paedophilia.
'But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a link between homosexuality and paedophilia. That is true. That is the problem.'
The Catholic Church has been facing a series of sex scandals involving clergy that has involved Ireland, Germany and the United States.
Pope Benedict has been drawn into the crisis after it emerged that in some cases he had allegedly 'dragged his heels' in dealing with priests who had been accused of sex crimes.
The latest development will inflame the first foreign visit by the Pontiff to Malta this weekend, which the Vatican fears may attract protests.
Yesterday in his weekly general audience the Pope failed to make any reference to the sex scandal or Cardinal Bertone's remarks which were carried on the front page of every Italian newspaper and which were condemned by gay groups.
Gary rights activists around the world have condemned Cardinal Bertone's comments.
Supporters of Pope Benedict said they planned to hold a rally in St Peter's Square on May 16 to show their solidarity with him with one Italian group of lay people saying: 'We want to visibly show our support, gratitude and affection for the Holy Father.'
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.