The Vatican has lashed out at
criticism over its handling of its paedophilia crisis by saying the
Catholic church was "busy cleaning its own house" and that the problems
with clerical sex abuse in other churches were as big, if not bigger.
In
a defiant and provocative statement, issued following a meeting of the
UN human rights council in Geneva, the Holy See said the majority of
Catholic clergy who committed such acts were not paedophiles but
homosexuals attracted to sex with adolescent males.
The
statement, read out by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's
permanent observer to the UN, defended its record by claiming that
"available research" showed that only 1.5%-5% of Catholic clergy were
involved in child sex abuse.
He also quoted statistics from the
Christian Scientist Monitor newspaper to show that most US churches
being hit by child sex abuse allegations were Protestant and that
sexual abuse within Jewish communities was common.
He added that
sexual abuse was far more likely to be committed by family members,
babysitters, friends, relatives or neighbours, and male children were
quite often guilty of sexual molestation of other children.
The
statement said that rather than paedophilia, it would "be more correct"
to speak of ephebophilia, a homosexual attraction to adolescent males.
"Of
all priests involved in the abuses, 80 to 90% belong to this sexual
orientation minority which is sexually engaged with adolescent boys
between the ages of 11 and 17."
The statement concluded: "As the
Catholic church has been busy cleaning its own house, it would be good
if other institutions and authorities, where the major part of abuses
are reported, could do the same and inform the media about it."
The
Holy See launched its counter–attack after an international
representative of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, Keith
Porteous Wood, accused it of covering up child abuse and being in
breach of several articles under the Convention on the Rights of the
Child.
Porteous Wood said the Holy See had not contradicted any
of his accusations. "The many thousands of victims of abuse deserve the
international community to hold the Vatican to account, something it
has been unwilling to do, so far. Both states and children's
organisations must unite to pressurise the Vatican to open its files,
change its procedures worldwide, and report suspected abusers to civil
authorities."
Representatives from other religions were dismayed
by the Holy See's attempts to distance itself from controversy by
pointing the finger at other faiths.
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, head
of the New York Board of Rabbis, said: "Comparative tragedy is a
dangerous path on which to travel. All of us need to look within our
own communities. Child abuse is sinful and shameful and we must expel
them immediately from our midst."
A spokesman for the US
Episcopal Church said measures for the prevention of sexual misconduct
and the safeguarding of children had been in place for years.
Of all the world religions, Roman Catholicism
has been hardest hit by sex abuse scandals. In the US, churches have
paid more than $2bn (£1.25bn) in compensation to victims. In Ireland,
reports into clerical sexual abuse have rocked both the Catholic
hierarchy and the state.
The Ryan Report, published last May,
revealed that beatings and humiliation by nuns and priests were common
at institutions that held up to 30,000 children. A nine-year
investigation found that Catholic priests and nuns for decades
terrorised thousands of boys and girls, while government inspectors
failed to stop the abuse.