The Vatican - The Vatican has lashed out at criticism over its handling of its paedophilia crisis by saying the Catholic church was "busy cleaning its own house" and that the problems with clerical sex abuse in other churches were as big, if not bigger.

In a defiant and provocative statement, issued following a meeting of the UN human rights council in Geneva, the Holy See said the majority of Catholic clergy who committed such acts were not paedophiles but homosexuals attracted to sex with adolescent males.

The ludicrous claim went on that only up to 5% of Catholic Priests that abused children, were not really paedophiles but gay men attracted to adolescent males between the ages of 11 and 17, so called Ephebophil's.

Let us examine this statement in detail. "Up to 5% of catholic priests that abused children". That is an admission that 1 in 20 is a paedophile.

"Were not really paedophiles but ... Ephebophil's". Now at the height of the catholic paedophile scandal, the age of homosexual consent was 18, not 16 as it is now. A change in the law that the catholic church opposed vigorously. Means that by their own preferences, and definitions All the priests that abused children are paedophiles.

We at The Bastard think the Vatican really just does not get it. The Paedophile priest was bad enough, BUT the most serious offence was the policy of JP2 and Ratzinger now Pope Benedict that threatened the clergy and laity with excommunication, if they told anyone about the paedophile scandal outside the church.

Instead of trying to use weasel words, and faux definitions to evade the responsibility, that goes right up to the very top of the church hierarchy. We would be much more impressed if the Vatican just confessed and offered compensation to all those that it knows were abused by Priests.