The Vatican went into damage-control mode yesterday over remarks by the Pope's top aide linking paedophilia to homosexuality, saying they went outside the remit of "Church authorities".

"General assertions of a specifically psychological or medical nature" are not the responsibility of Church officials, the Vatican said in a statement.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone - the Vatican number two and Pope Benedict XVI's right-hand man - said on Monday that "many" psychologists and psychiatrists had demonstrated a link between homosexuality and paedophilia.

Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said the statement was aimed at "clarifying" Cardinal Bertone's remarks and should not be seen as the Holy See "distancing" itself from them.

The Vatican statement went on to note "statistical data" on the abuse of minors by priests compiled on the basis of cases referred to Vatican authorities.

Ten per cent of the cases concerned paedophilia in the "strict sense" and the other 90 per cent concerned sex between priests and adolescents, the statement said, citing a study published last month.

Sixty per cent of the cases involved adolescent boys and 30 per cent with adolescent girls, the study found.

Several Vatican officials have suggested that the Church is unfairly singled out for paedophilia, noting that it is a widespread social phenomenon.

Mr Lombardi said last month, for example: "All objective and informed people know that the issue is much wider, and to focus accusations only on the Church leads to a skewed perspective."

As the Church battles paedophile priest scandals in Europe and the United States and allegations that the hierarchy worked to cover up for abusers, Cardinal Bertone's remarks drew official ire from France yesterday.

"This is an unacceptable linkage and we condemn this," said foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero.