Rome: The Catholic Church in northern Italy’s Trento area has sanctioned a priest who stated pedophilia within the church was brought on by children looking for the love of clergymen. I know children and unfortunately there are children who seek affection because they don’t have it at home.
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I can understand paedophilia. And it can be that maybe they find a few priests.
The cleric sparked controversy when he said that “can understand paedophilia” on live television.
The 75-year-old priest, Don Gino Flaim, made his comments to an Italian current affairs programme, The Way The Wind Is Blowing, on the private La 7 network on Tuesday which were broadcast live.
“I don’t know. I, pedophilia I can understand”.
A Catholic priest has been sacked for saying that children are sometimes to blame for paedophilia.
Asked if the children were in a few way responsible, he replied: “In many cases, yes”.
Like homosexuality, paedophilia was an “illness” that people “suffered” from, Flaim said. He did add, however, that he does not condone sexual abuse.
He then reportedly went on to say that he believes homosexuality is a “sickness”.
Archbishop of Trent, Luigi Bressan, said: “The Church in Trent fully disassociates itself from the statements made by one of our elderly diocesan priests to the TV channel, La 7”.
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The archdiocese disclosed that in the wake of the TV interview, Father Flaim had been removed from his pastoral assignment and forbidden to preach.
