Earlier this month the Pope begged forgiveness from victims of child abusers within the Church

Pope Francis has been quoted as saying that reliable data indicates that "about 2%" of clergy in the Catholic Church are paedophiles.

The Pope said that abuse of children was like "leprosy" infecting the Church, according to the Italian La Repubblica newspaper.

He vowed to "confront it with the severity it demands".

But a Vatican spokesman said the quotes in the newspaper did not correspond to Pope Francis's exact words.

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says there is often a studied ambiguity in Pope Francis' off-the-cuff statements.

He wants to show a more compassionate attitude towards Church teaching than his predecessors, but this can sometimes cause consternation among his media advisers, our correspondent adds.

Analysis: David Willey, BBC News, Rome
When is a papal interview not an interview? Sunday's edition of La Repubblica devotes its first three pages to an account of a conversation between Pope Francis and editor Eugenio Scalfari, which took place last Thursday. Papal spokesman Federico Lombardi said in a sharp note that it was not an interview in the normal sense of the word, although he admitted it conveyed the "sense and the spirit" of the conversation.

Mr Scalfari does not use a digital recorder, and Father Lombardi said Pope Francis never checked the accuracy of the interview.

Until now, the Vatican has declined to quantify the extent of clerical sexual abuse scandals in the worldwide Church. Statistics are usually available only for countries in the developed world. In the developing world, information is usually only sketchy.



In the interview, Pope Francis was quoted as saying that the 2% estimate came from advisers. It would represent around 8,000 priests out of a global number of about 414,000.

While the incidence of paedophilia as a psychiatric disorder in the general population is not accurately known, some estimates have put it at less than five percent.

"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 was quoted as saying.

"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."

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi denied that Pope Francis had said that there were cardinals who were paedophiles.

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 in the same La Repubblica interview 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."

Father Lombardi also denied that these were the Pope's exact words.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28282050

Why not start by getting them a wife and let them fulfil their desires.......
God created Adam,......... For some reasons, he added eve to,it....... This isn't a mistake....... Let them get married and still worship the one true God...

olajide21: Why not start by getting them a wife and let them fulfil their desires.......
God created Adam,......... For some reasons, he added eve to,it....... This isn't a mistake....... Let them get married and still worship the one true God...

For your information, paedophilia is more rampant among the rest of the world (who are free to marry).

Your logic fails.

God doesn't make mistakes.

Neither Jesus nor Paul married.

italo:

For your information, paedophilia is more rampant among the rest of the world (who are free to marry).

Your logic fails.

God doesn't make mistakes.

Neither Jesus nor Paul married.

Bigger sample size. The world is a far bigger place than the catholic church.

TheBigUrban2:

Bigger sample size. The world is a far bigger place than the catholic church.

It doesnt matter the size. The percentage of paedophile priests is less than the percentage of paedophile non-priests in the world.

Which means you are more likely to be a paedophile...than a Catholic priest is.

Did you skip classes in primary school?

italo:

It doesnt matter the size. The percentage of paedophile priests is less than the percentage of paedophile non-priests in the world.

Which means you are more likely to be a paedophile...than a Catholic priest is.

Did you skip classes in primary school?

I doubt that there are up to 100 million catholic priests in the world. But lets say that there are. There are 7 billion people in the world.


What we have is a ratio of 1:70. A ratio of 1:10 should be the maximum


That is too much of a discrepancy to make any comparison between the two groups.

It would be like comparing the rate of crime in a university to the whole of a state.


Apples to oranges.

TheBigUrban2:


I doubt that there are up to 100 million catholic priests in the world. But lets say that there are. There are 7 billion people in the world.


What we have is a ratio of 1:70. A ratio of 1:10 should be the maximum


That is too much of a discrepancy to make any comparison between the two groups.

It would be like comparing the rate of crime in a university to the whole of a state.


Apples to oranges.

Bros...the rate of paedophilia is higher outside the catholic priesthood than within the priesthood.

Simple. If you dont understand that, go back to primary school mathematics.

italo:

Bros...the rate of paedophilia is higher outside the catholic priesthood than within the priesthood.

Simple. If you dont understand that, go back to primary school mathematics.

keep repeatng your ignorant talking points

TheBigUrban2:

keep repeatng your ignorant talking points

It's not ignorant.

The rate of paedophilia in the world is far higher than 2%. That means the Catholic is far better than the world around it.

Obviously...you don't know the difference between "rate" and "number."

You don't even know the meaning of "rate" yet you're calling my submission "ignorant."

It shows you dont even know what "ignorant" means.

italo:

For your information, paedophilia is more rampant among the rest of the world (who are free to marry).

Your logic fails.

God doesn't make mistakes.

Neither Jesus nor Paul married.

Abi ooo. True talk jare

olajide21: Why not start by getting them a wife and let them fulfil their desires.......
God created Adam,......... For some reasons, he added eve to,it....... This isn't a mistake....... Let them get married and still worship the one true God...

ur pastors that are married nd still sleep with the girls in their church, what re we going to call them. They re not doing this cos they re nt married. Either they marry or not they will do what they want to do