There is no statistical connection between the abuse of minors and a celibate way of life, the leader of Catholics in England and Wales has insisted.
"Nor is there as far as I know any proven psychological connection between a way of celibacy and the abuse of children," Archbishop of Westminster the Most Rev Vincent Nichols said.
He was speaking on the eve of the publication of the pastoral letter to Irish faithful by Pope Benedict following the child abuse scandal which has damaged the Catholic Church there.
The Archbishop told BBC2's Newsnight programme: "The level of abuse in the Church is actually quite small in terms of the overall levels of abuse in any country. But that is not the point. The point is that it is particularly scandalous when it's done in the context of a trust given with faith in God."
The Archbishop said the Pope had in the past examined abuse cases and dealt with them absolutely scrupulously.
"I think he will help all the Churches in different countries, the Catholic Churches, to deal with this matter very clearly and robustly."
He said: "If you look statistically, the vast majority of the abuse of children happens within their families where people are not celibate. There is no statistical connection between the abuse of minors and a celibate way of life. Nor is there as far as I know any proven psychological connection between a way of celibacy and the abuse of children."
The Archbishop said that sometimes a bishop knew "that something's not quite right".
He added: "It's very difficult for a bishop to get behind the way a priest might present himself. And I have learned a painful lesson that when a priest says: 'No I can assure you, it's perfectly all right,' not necessarily to believe that and to dig more deeply."
Asked if that had happened to him, he said: "Yes it has, yes it has - that priests live, those who have offended, who are offended, as many addicts do, live in a bubble of self-denial. And that self-denial has to be broken. And part of that self-denial is a very persuasive manner to trust them. And I have learned that you have to chip away at that until eventually you get to what is the truth of a situation."
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