Santiago, Chile, Apr 13, 2010 / 11:41 am
During a lengthy press conference in Chile, the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, was asked about the possible abolition of clerical celibacy following the revelations of pedophilia among some priests. The cardinal answered by explaining that research shows these two issues to be unrelated, however studies prove that there is a connection between pedophilia and homosexuality.
At a press conference held Monday evening at the Pontifical Seminary of Santiago, the Vatican cardinal remarked, “Many psychologists and psychiatrists have shown that there is no link between celibacy and pedophilia,” but have found a “relationship between homosexuality and pedophilia.”
He noted that “there is much documentation from psychologists in this area.”
Speaking about the scandals of clerical sex abuse against minors, the cardinal said, “the important thing is to provide proper guidance and accept the facts of the past. It is crucial to prevent this in the present and the future through comprehensive training in human and priestly virtues for candidates of the priesthood.”