In a scalding critique of Vatican, a UN panel report has condemned the church policies which allowed the clergymen to indulge in sexual abuse of children and called for immediate dismissal of all those priests who had committed or were suspected of the crime.
Lambasting the Holy See for its “code of silence”, the UN committee has also recommended the Vatican to investigate all the sex abuse claims by opening the archive of files on those who had concealed their crimes.
The report by the UN watchdog for children rights – United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has also slammed the Vatican’s views on homosexuality, gender equality and contraception, and abortion.
“The Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by, and the impunity of, the perpetrators,” reads the UN report.
Slamming the church for giving more priority to protecting the priests rather than children’s safety, the UN has urged the Vatican to “immediately abide by the committee’s recommendations, hand over all its records and immediately put in place a policy of mandatory reporting of sexual crimes”.
Responding to the report, the Vatican said that it would go through the report and that it was committed to defending and protecting children’s rights.
However, on the UN committee’s criticism of the church’s ideological views, the Vatican said that the agency was trying to interfer with its teachings and that it was “not negotiable”.
The damning report comes after the Vatican had refused a request by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) for data on abuse.
