CHILD-abusing priests got carried away by the freewheeling ‘paedo power’ culture of the 1960s, according to the Vatican.
The Catholic church claimed that overly-attentive middle-aged priests’ minor errors of judgement could be blamed on the whole laid-back tie-dyed use-your-authority-position-to predate-on-vulnerable-children culture of the era.
A Vatican spokesman said: “The sixties was just such a crazy time, it was basically all about free child love. Young priests are only human, and of course were influenced by long-haired pop stars singing about how it’s cool to bugger choirboys.
“It all culminated with Boystock, that notorious festival where Jimi Hendrix sang Voodoo Chile, about a chorister whose cherubic looks conceal the wickedness that lurks within.
“And then The Animals came on and did House of the Kneeling Son.”
He added: “Everywhere you looked there were paedophiles in VW camper vans luring children with sub-Santana jazz fusion guitar noodling. The whole thing was one big crazy whirl of patchouli oil, bandanas and devious manipulation.
“In hindsight it all seems terribly hedonistic, but you can see how a young, newly-ordained man in the prime of life might get a bit carried away with the beautiful creepiness of it all.”
Former hippie, Nathan Muir, said: “We baby boomers have a lot to answer for – dream catchers, mud wrestling, and funky, laid back multi-national ice cream corporations – but this seems unfair.
“Then again, The Freak Brothers did look rather chilling, especially Fat Freddy.”
