His comments come as a child protection expert appointed to advise the Catholic Church over abuse claims said evidence suggested that priests were “out of control sexually”.

Academic Alan Draper has been informed of 20 child sex allegations in Scots parishes during the Eighties and Nineties and revealed that not all were reported to police.

The Church hasn't been seen in that area of outreach to people who are struggling with same-sex attraction

Peter Kearney

Mr Kearney admitted more needs to be done to provide support for Catholics struggling with their sexuality.

He added: “If there’s an area where the Church hasn’t been seen – frankly, because it’s not present – it’s in that area of compassionate, pastoral outreach to people who are struggling with same-sex attraction, or they’re confused about it and would love the chance to talk to someone in a compassionate, pastoral context.

“The truth of it is that that level of support really isn’t there.

“If you’ve got a drug, or alcohol problem, or homelessness, then we seem to be able to step in and offer you support, help and options. But when it comes to human sexuality, it just isn’t there at the moment. And that’s unfortunate.”

The Catholic Church has spent the past fortnight under increased scrutiny after the claims of misconduct against Cardinal O’Brien – an outspoken critic of same-sex relationships – were made. Three priests and a former priest made allegations of “inappropriate” behaviour against him.

He initially pledged to “contest” the claims but later admitted that his sexual conduct had “fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal” and resigned from his post.

Mr Kearney believes the Church has never been under so much pressure. He continued: “The level of global media interest in this story has been unprecedented. We’ve never encountered anything like it.

“And I include in that the interest in and coverage of the Pope’s visit in 2010. In the case of the Pope’s visit, there was a high level of coverage but it was over a period of months and weeks – the build-up and so on. And it was a completely different tone and nature to this.”

Last week, Archbishop Philip Tartaglia, who replaced Cardinal O’Brien in the Archdiocese of Edinburgh and St Andrews, said the Church had been accused of hypocrisy “for obvious reasons”.

Agreeing with the sentiment, Mr Kearney added: “I think hypocrisy – as Archbishop Tartaglia described it – is the stinging charge but it’s probably the most accurate charge to make under these circumstances.

“On the other hand, if you come at it from a Catholic perspective, we are all flawed, fallible human beings. Everyone fails in one way or another, or at one time or another.

“When it happens to someone in such a high profile and significant position, as it has done recently, then the impact is enormous, compared to it happening to one of us in our daily lives. But the underlying issue is the same.”