Un Committee Questions Vatican over Sex Abuse

Press TV
May 5, 2014

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/05/05/361458/un-body-grills-vatican-over-sex-abuse/

[with video]

A United Nations committee grills the Vatican over the global child sex abuse scandal involving priests.

For the second time this year, in a two-hour hearing in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday, the UN Committee against Torture launched a barrage of questions to the Vatican delegation, accusing the church of ducking responsibility on the issue.

The committee called for a permanent investigation system to end what it called a "climate of impunity" prevailing in the Vatican for decades.

George Tugushi, a member of the committee from Georgia, questioned the adequacy of measures taken to address the issue of sex abuse by the Vatican, and termed a recent formation of an international commission advising Pope Francis on how to deal with sexual abuse as very positive but not enough.

“The commission may need help to ensure all cases are reported properly and begin to change the climate of impunity but it cannot be considered in our opinion as a substitute for a functioning investigation system,” Tugushi said.

The Vatican, however, argues that it is only responsible for enforcing the UN treaty against torture within the confines of the Vatican City, a country that has fewer than 1,000 inhabitants.

The Catholic Church has been rocked by growing cases of child sex abuse filed against priests in recent years.

In January, when the first questioning was held, a UN human rights committee rejected a similar argument the Vatican made in an attempt to limit its responsibility.

During the January meeting, the committee slammed the Vatican for adopting policies that allowed priests to rape and molest tens of thousands of children.

The committee also blasted the Vatican’s practice of transferring the abusing clergymen from parish to parish in a bid to cover up their crimes.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has said the church must be bolder in efforts to protect children.

On May 3, the Pope’s newly formed sexual abuse advisory board said it is to develop “clear and effective” protocols to hold bishops and other church authorities accountable if they fail to report suspected abuse or protect children from pedophile priests.