Pope: 2% of Clergy Are Pedophiles

In an interview with La Repubblica, Pope Francis is quoted as saying that data indicates "about 2%" of the clergy in the Catholic Church are pedophiles. He also said child abuse was like "leprosy" infecting the church and he will "confront it with the severity it demands." That percentage would represent around 8,000 priests out of 414,000. "Among the 2% who are pedophiles are priests, bishops and cardinals. Others, more numerous, know but keep quiet. They punish without giving the reason," Pope Francis was quoted as saying. Francis was also asked about celibacy rules for priests. In response, he pointed out that it was only adopted 900 years after the death of Jesus Christ and that the Eastern Catholic Church allows priests to marry.