THE Vatican's investigator into the Church's paedophilia scandal warned priests that those who abuse children face a harder time in hell.
Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, led prayers in St. Peter's Basilica with students and seminarians from pontifical universities.
Citing a sixth-century saint, he said that priests who abuse others instead of acting as role models would do better to remain outside of the Church "as their torment in hell would be more bearable".
The Roman Catholic Church has for months been embroiled in a series of sex abuse scandals amid allegations that the Vatican shielded predator priests from prosecution in several European countries and the United States.
During the service prayers were said for the "victims of abuse perpetrated by men and women of the Church so that their wounds can heal and they can find true peace".
Prayers were also for priests "who have committed abuse so that they can confront in the light of the truth the consequences of their wrongs and accept the will of justice".
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