Confusing Story

Here is how Newsweek is reporting the story of the Vatican Priest caught making sexual advances on another male:

It's another story the Vatican could have done without. A high-ranking church official in Rome is caught by a hidden camera making what appear to be advances to another man. The scenes, in which the priest questions the Roman Catholic church's teaching on homosexuality, are then broadcast on Italian television.

That's the position the Vatican, still trying to deal with the long-running fallout from pedophile priests, finds itself in after the official, Monsignor Tommaso Stenico—who has responsibility for matters relating to the clergy—was filmed during an encounter with a youth he was reported to have met on a gay Internet chat room.

The priest invited the young man to his office after work hours and, during the course of their conversation on homosexuality, started complimenting the youth on his appearance. The young man told the priest he was "about to commit something with me that is a sin in the eyes of God." Stenico, 60, replied: "No, I don't consider it a sin." When the youth questioned how the priest could ignore the church's teaching that homosexual acts are sinful, the priest cut short the meeting and showed him the door—but not before placing his hand on the back of his leg and saying, "You're so hot." The priest asked his guest not to talk with anyone on the way out.

I am confused. Is the other male a "young man" or a "youth"? Is he 12-16 or 18-25? It makes a difference. Is it pedophilia or homosexuality? Either way the Priest is breaking his vows and finds himself in an embarrassing heap of trouble. But is he breaking the law?

I know conservative Catholics who think there is no difference between pedophilia and homosexuality; they think that if the church would just get rid of all the gay priests there would be no more pedophilia. But it isn't the same thing, and this article adds to the confusion.