(CNN) The Vatican has revealed that it maintains secret guidelines for priests who father children despite their vows of celibacy.

"I can confirm that guidelines exist; it is a document for internal use," Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said in a statement to CNN, adding that the document was not intended for publication.

The existence of Vatican guidelines for dealing with priests who father children was first reported by The New York Times

One man, Vincent Doyle, whose father was a Catholic priest, told the paper he was shown the document when he traveled to Rome in search of justice for children of ministers.

Officially, Catholic priests are required to maintain a life of celibacy, refraining from any form of sexual activity. A growing tide of sexual abuse scandals involving priests around the world has shown these vows are often broken, although there are many examples of consensual sex by ministers.

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