Europe's Catholic paedophile scandal now affects institutions in Ireland, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany.
Cardinal Schoenborn later clarified his comments saying it would be wrong to say that celibacy was a prime cause of sexual abuse.
"If celibacy is the problem, then without celibacy there should be no sexual abuse but unfortunately this is not the case. We know about cases inside the family," he said.
"I think the problem is deeper. It has to be seen as a question of personal maturity, how someone relates to his personal development."
At the Pope's meeting with Bishop Zollitsch, details of accusations made in some 170 cases of abuse by German priests were discussed.
"For every 10 people you hear saying they were abused, you can be sure there are another ten thousand victims staying silent."