A South Africa cardinal stated this week during a recent BBC interview that pedophilia is an illness and not a crime.

Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, the Archbishop of Durban, had made the statement that pedophilia was a “disorder” that needed to be treated, during BBC Radio 5 with Stephen Nolan.

"From my experience, pedophilia is actually an illness. It's not a criminal condition, it's an illness," he said.

In the interview he made a reference of two priests who became pedophiles after being abused a children.

"Now don't tell me that those people are criminally responsible like somebody who chooses to do something like that,” he said. “I don't think you can really take the position and say that person deserves to be punished. He was himself damaged."

"What do you do with disorders? You've got to try and put them right," he added. "If I -- as a normal being -- choose to break the law, knowing that I'm breaking the law, then I think I need to be punished."

Napier’s remarks were said to be insensitive by victims’ rights groups and others that are critical of the Catholic Church’s response to their ongoing child sex abuse scandals.

Napier went on Twitter to defend himself.

It's the supreme irony. Because I raised the issue of the abused abuser, I stand accused of insensitivity to the sufferings of the abused.

— Cardinal Napier (@CardinalNapier) March 18, 2013

My concern: How can society deal justly, fairly & equitably with the abused, who has suffered incalculable damage, then goes on to abuse? — Cardinal Napier (@CardinalNapier) March 18, 2013

Do the Church & society not have to consider the damage he suffered when deciding what to do? Or does the abused abuser lose all his rights? — Cardinal Napier (@CardinalNapier) March 18, 2013

I believe as every dictionary consulted confirms Paedophilia is a medical condition. What is a crime is the sexual abuse of children. — Cardinal Napier (@CardinalNapier) March 18, 2013

Therefore Paedophilia must be treated. What must be punished is the Crime of Sexual Abuse of Children.

— Cardinal Napier (@CardinalNapier) March 18, 2013

I apologise to Victims of Child Abuse offended by misstatement of what was & still is my concern about all abused including abused abuser. — Cardinal Napier (@CardinalNapier) March 18, 2013

"I apologize sincerely and unreservedly to all who were offended by the botched interview, and especially to those who have been abused and need every help and support that the Church can give,” Napier said in a statement released to the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference on Monday. "Child sexual abuse is a heinous crime among other things because of the damage it does to the child. In that concern I include the abused who has become an abuser."