Paedophile priests face the prospect of ‘burning in Hell’ for ever, according to the Vatican's top prosecutor dealing with sex abuse cases.
Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the promoter of justice within the Vatican's all powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, is tasked with investigating sex claims against clergy.
In recent weeks the Vatican has been rocked to its core by a series of abuse cases that have emerged in Ireland, America, Germany and Austria and it has also faced claims of ‘covering up’ and protecting offenders.
Speaking at a ceremony in St Peter's Basilica, Monsignor Scicluna told priests who had gather at a service for victims to pray for them and for clergy who had ‘perpetuated abuse.’
Monsignor Scicluna then quoted a famous Gospel passage in which Christ had said: ‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe to stumble, it would be better for him if, with a heavy millstone hung around his neck, he had been cast into the sea.’
Then speaking of abusing priests he added: ‘It would be better for them, if their crimes were their cause of death in this life because for them eternal damnation in the fires of Hell will be greater.’
Monsignor Scicluna added: ‘You need to be wary of friends and companions who would lead you down the path of temptation and you must cut them away.
‘The Lord was clear on this that it is better to enter the Kingdom of God without a foot, eye, hand then to into the inextinguishable fires of Hell.
‘Little children are a holy icon, they cannot be overturned, muddied, abused or destroyed. Christ said let the children come to me but don't obstruct their path, don't let them became objects of your impure covetousness.’
Earlier his year, Monsignor Scicluna gave an interview in which he said that between 2001 and until now he has dealt with 3,000 cases covering the last 50 years.
He said: ‘Sixty per cent of cases involved a simple attraction, 30 per cent heterosexual relationship and only 10% true and proper paedophilia - which is still far too many but not as widespread as one would believe.’
Last week at a meeting of the all powerful Italian Bishops Conference, Monsignor Mariano Crociata, secretary general, said there had been around ‘100 abuse cases in Italy during the last ten years.’
While the head of the Conference Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco said of the powerful Italian Bishops Conference ‘possible’ that sex abuse by clergy might have also been covered up in the country.
Pope Benedict himself has even been drawn into the controversy with claims that he 'dragged his heels' over a case involving a German priest when he was Archbishop of Munich in the early 1980s.
Both Pope Benedict and the Vatican have been accused of not doing enough to speak out against the issue although in recent days the Pope has condemned paedophile priests and last month on a visit to Malta in an attempt to show public sympathy he met with several abuse victims.
But despite his attempt to show support a recent poll appeared to show that Benedict appeared to have lost the trust of the majority of Italians in his 'own back garden', as one Catholic commentator put it.
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