The newspaper, El Diaro de Chile, published an article last week by Spanish psychologist Jose Maria Amenos Vidal titled, “Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and the scientific evidence that supports the relationship between homosexuality and pedophilia.”  The author asserts that the cardinal was correct in affirming such a link during his visit to Chile.

Since 1984, Vidal has been a professor of Philosophy and Educational Science at the Central University of Barcelona, Spain, where he is also Director of Seminars in the Departments of General and Social Psychology.  

In his article, Vidal recalls that the renowned Spanish doctor and psychiatrist, Aquilino Polaino, an expert in the field, previously pointed out that homosexuality should be considered a mental disease, and must be addressed with psychiatric treatment, under the guidance of the model set forth by Gerard J.M. van den Aardweg. 

Aardweg is the Dutch professor and psychologist who years ago, “deciphered the keys to this illness and its treatment.”  His model directly clashes with those of Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, Vidal said, “because orthodox and heterodox psychoanalysts have defended the unscientific position that homosexuality is the result of hereditary factors.”  He noted that “this hypothesis …  has been completely ruled out today because of  its incongruence with the results of scientific research.”

He added that one can conclude that the “social environment is indeed (homosexuality's) main trigger.”

From this point of view, Vidal continued, “The recent statements by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, during his recent trip to Chile support the scientific evidence derived from statistical co-relational studies between homosexuality and pedophilia.”

Vidal said these studies show that homosexuality is not the result of genetic inheritance or of evolutionism in relation to pedophilia and that it is not disconnected from environmental influence.