Vatican secretary of state says homosexuality to blame for pedophilia, not celibacy

Pope’s No. 2: Pedophilia linked to homosexuality

SANTIAGO, Chile — The Vatican’s second-highest authority says the sex scandals haunting the Catholic Church are linked to homosexuality rather than celibacy vows among priests.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone is the Vatican’s secretary of state and asserts that “many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and pedophilia.”

He says others have shown “that there is a relation between homosexuality and pedophilia,” and “that is the problem.”

Bertone spoke during a news conference Monday in Chile.

He also asserted that the church had never impeded investigations of pedophilia by priests.