Pope Francis has said reliable data
indicates that "about 2%" of clergy in
the Catholic Church are paedophiles.
In an interview with the Italian La
Repubblica newspaper, the Pope said that
abuse of children was like "leprosy"
infecting the Church.
He vowed to "confront it with the severity
it demands".
In the same interview he said he believed
"solutions" existed to problems posed by
the prohibition on priests marrying.
Pope Francis said that the 2% estimate
came from advisers. It would represent
around 8,000 priests out of a global
number of about 414,000.
"Among the 2% who are paedophiles are
priests, bishops and cardinals. Others,
more numerous, know but keep quiet. They
punish without giving the reason," Pope
Francis said.
"I find this state of affairs intolerable," he
went on.
Above the interview La Repubblica ran the
headline: "Pope says: Like Jesus, I shall
use a stick against paedophile priests."
Last year Pope Francis strengthened the
Vatican's laws against child abuse and
earlier this month begged forgiveness from
the victims of sexual abuse by priests, at
his first meeting with victims since his
election.
Many survivors of abuse by priests are
angry at what they see as the Vatican's
failure to punish senior officials who have
been accused of covering up scandals.
Asked about the celibacy rule for priests,
Pope Francis recalled that it was adopted
900 years after the death of Jesus Christ
and pointed out that the Eastern Catholic
Church allows its priests to marry.
"The problem certainly exists but it is not
on a large scale. It will need time but the
solutions are there and I will find them."
While the incidence of paedophilia in the
general population is not accurately
known, some estimates have put it at less
than five percent.
Earlier this month the Pope begged
forgiveness from victims of child abusers
within the Church