A group of 70 French intellectuals extended their support on Friday to Pope Benedict XVI in the face of growing paedophile priest scandals, accusing the media of unfair reporting.

The group penned a letter to the pope expressing their "horror" at crimes of paedophilia and their "solidarity" with the victims while "paying homage to the pope's will to shed light on these cases."

But with a steady stream of new cases of child abuse committed by priests and clergy coming in, they also slammed the "media's concentration" on the scandals.

"We observe with sadness as Christians and above all as citizens that many media are covering these matters with partiality, a lack of awareness or with lively satisfaction."

The group called on the media to have an "ethic of responsibility" in their coverage of the scandals, arguing that the press were painting the Church in a way "that does not correspond to what Christians are experiencing."

Extracts of the letter, which was signed by writers, an actor, a philosophy professor, a Lutheran pastor among others, were published in the Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano, along with other messages of support for the pope.