Pope's No. 2: Pedophilia linked to homosexuality

By BRAD HAYNES, Associated Press

SANTIAGO, Chile -- The Vatican's second-highest authority says the sex scandals haunting the Roman Catholic Church are linked to homosexuality and not celibacy among priests.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, made the comments during a news conference Monday in Chile, where one of the church's highest-profile pedophile cases involves a priest having sex with young girls.

"Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and pedophilia. But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a relation between homosexuality and pedophilia. That is true," said Bertone. "That is the problem."

His comments drew angry reactions from Chile's gay rights advocates.

"Neither Bertone nor the Vatican has the moral authority to give lessons on sexuality," said Rolando Jimenez, president of the Movement for Homosexual Integration and Liberation in Chile.

Jimenez also said no reputable study exists to support the cardinal's claims.

"This is a perverse strategy by the Vatican to shirk its own ethical and legal responsibility by making a spurious and disgusting connection," he said.

At least one of the highest-profile pedophiles in the Chilean church victimized young girls, including a teenager who became pregnant.

At the time, the archbishop of the capital, Santiago, received multiple complaints about Father Jose Andres Aguirre from families concerned for their daughters. But the priest - known to his parishioners as Father Tato - continued serving at a number of Catholic girls schools in the city.

Later the church sent Aguirre out of Chile twice amid abuse allegations. He was eventually sentenced to 12 years in prison for abusing 10 teenage girls.

One of the girls, identified as Paula, said that she and the priest started to have sex when she was 16 and that it lasted until she was 20.

She told the Chilean newspaper La Nacion: "I thought it wasn't that bad to have sex with him because when I told priests about it at confession they just told me to pray and that was it. They knew, and some of them guessed that it was Father Tato. But everyone looked the other way. No one corrected or helped me."

She said one of the priests she confessed to about her sex with Aguirre was Bishop Francisco Jose Cox, who himself was facing allegations of pedophilia.

Cox had been bishop in La Serena, in northern Chile, for seven years when he was removed in 1997 amid rumors that he was a pedophile. He was first transferred to Santiago, then Rome, then Colombia, and finally Germany. The Schoenstatt movement, a worldwide lay community within the Catholic Church, paid for the moves and his treatment.

In 2002, Santiago Archbishop Francisco Javier Erraruriz said Cox had agreed to be removed for "inappropriate conduct."

The archbishop acknowledged Cox had shown "affection that was a bit exuberant," especially toward children, but said, "I'm not aware of any formal allegation backed by evidence."

Erraruriz said Cox volunteered to be confined to a Schoenstatt convent in Colombia to continue "praying to God for his pardon for the errors he has made."

Last week, the archbishop admitted the Chilean church was investigating cases of priest pedophilia after playing the issue down for years.

"There is something to these pedophilia abuses - just a few, thank God," Errazuriz said in an interview on state television.

Associated Press Writer Eva Vergara contributed to this report.

Comments

[fred]

It is a shame that these homosexuals have infiltrated the catholic church and given them a bad name. While I am not a member of that religion I understand that it may be difficult to detect homosexuals when screening for preachers. But this is a good reason why the Church teaches people not to engage in homosexual behavior, because it can lead to pedophilia among other things.

[adam]

Fred is obviously trolling. Blaiming homosexuals on priests molesting/raping young GIRLS, as it clearly states in this article?

It's the last cries of a dying religion.

[sean]

If you want to know about the truth between the link read more here:

http://tinyurl.com/gaysarenotabusers

[Nicole Hatch]

OMG, the Roman Catholic Church never ceases to amaze me at their ignorance in issues of sexuality. Pedophilia is present among both heterosexuals and homosexual men. I would say cilibacy is more likely at the root of why these priests are targeting children for their sexual needs. Children are easily manipulated and controlled.
I do agree that many closeted gay men are drawn to the priesthood because it is a socially acceptible lifestyle and you do not have to explain why you do not date or marry a woman. Of course, this is a very poor excuse to join the priesthood. The solution is not to condemn gay people but to encourage them to accept themselves for who they are rather than hiding.