Today Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the ALDE Group, has sent a letter to the Presidents of the European Commission, the European Council and the Parliament asking them to react to the declarations of Cardinal Bertone and others on the current paedophile crisis. ALDE Group members will seek to raise the matter via an oral question on the subject at a forthcoming plenary session. 

"A number of leaders of the Catholic Church have made declarations in recent days which are utterly unacceptable and conflict sharply with European Union values of equality and non-discrimination", said Verhofstadt.

"Declarations connecting paedophilia with homosexuality or blaming Jews for fomenting the crisis are extremely serious, not only at the internal level - the relationship between the EU and the Catholic Church - but also at the international level - the relationship between the EU and the State of the Holy See. These declarations are reminiscent of former times and they need to be addressed by the leaders of the European Union. 

This is why I am asking EU leaders to condemn these declarations in the most unambiguous terms and to make representations to the Catholic Church leadership to make clear that such declarations are wrong and undermine our European values."

A copy of the letter and questions are attached.

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For more information, please contact:

Neil Corlett: +32-2-284 20 77 or +32-478-78 22 84

e-mail: neil.corlett@europarl.europa.eu

Federica Terzi: +32-2-283 23 24 or +32-494 18 88 31