The Vatican criticised what it said was a bid to undermine the Church, which is facing a deepening scandal over child abuse by priests in Europe.

As fresh allegations mounted against clergy in Austria, adding to hundreds of cases in Germany and the Netherlands, Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone acknowledged that confidence in the Church had declined.

"There has been a reduction in faith in all institutions including the Church," said Cardinal Bertone, number two in the Vatican hierarchy, after meeting Italian business leaders.

"The Church still enjoys great confidence on the part of the faithful, it is just that someone is trying to undermine that," he said, without referring directly to the paedophilia scandal. "But the Church has special help, from above."

In recent weeks, senior prelates have said it is unfair to single out the Church for child abuse, which also occurs in secular institutions. They have accused the media of exaggerating the problem.

However, in Austria local media reported rising numbers of people leaving the Catholic Church as accusations of priestly paedophilia continued to shock the nation.

Fresh allegations surfaced in the Tyrol province while five clergy were suspended from an Austrian monastery at the centre of an existing case. A newspaper published an apology from one of the men to former pupils saying: "I never wanted to be a sadist."

Austrian authorities said religious and secular groups were being invited to a roundtable in April about how to protect children better.

"This is far from being just about the Church: 80 to 90 per cent of the cases happen in families," said junior Family Minister Christine Marek.

Germany - where more than 200 reports have emerged of abuse at Catholic institutions - has also convened a similar roundtable for April 23, including Catholic and Protestant leaders, teachers, civil society and victims.

The scandal there has personally drawn in Bavarian-born Pope Benedict, whose brother ran for 30 years the prestigious Regensburg choir which has been linked to cases of abuse.

The Vatican on Saturday strongly rejected suggestions that Pope Benedict himself tried to cover up priestly child abuse when he was archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to 1981.