Child sex abuse cases in the Catholic Church were caused by the spread of homosexuality and modern public morals, German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller said in an interview with news agency DPA on Friday, also stating there is a "statistically proven" connection between homosexuality and sexual abuse.
According to the cardinal, the sexualisation of the modern world in recent decades has contributed heavily to the problem.
READ MORE: Journalist: Real Catholicism Is no Longer in France, It Is in Brazil, Nigeria
"What has happened in the church is nothing other than what is happening in society as a whole", he said, adding that "the real scandal is that the Catholic Church hasn't distinguished itself from the rest of society".
Brandmüller is known as one of the harshest conservative critics of Pope Francis' policies.
