UN report rips Vatican on abuse; Holy See protests 'ideological' attack

February 05, 2014

A UN committee has issued a blistering indictment of the Vatican’s handling of sexual abuse by Catholic priests, claiming that the Vatican has “systematically” encouraged protection of guilty priests, and demanding that the Church immediately dismiss all suspected abusers for prosecution.

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child charged that the Vatican had not cooperated fully with investigators. The Holy See, the report claimed, “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.”

While Vatican officials had anticipated a critical report, they seemed taken aback by the vehemence of the committee’s denunciation, especially because the UN committee went beyond the topic of sexual abuse to denounce Catholic teachings on subjects including abortion, homosexuality, and “gender stereotyping.”

In an immediate response to the UN criticism, the Vatican said that proposals for reform in the handling of sex-abuse cases would be “submitted to a thorough study and examination.” However, the Vatican decried the UN committee’s “attempt to interfere with Catholic Church teaching on the dignity of the human person and in the exercise of religious freedom.”

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, who had appeared before the UN committee to detail the Vatican’s response to sexual abuse, said that the report seemed to follow an “ideological line,” without taking into account the facts that the Holy See had presented to the committed. “It seems that [the report] had already been prepared before the meeting of the committee with the delegation of the Holy See,” he remarked.

Archbishop Tomasi, the Vatican’s observer at UN headquarters in Geneva, took issue with the report’s comments on Church teachings. He pointed out that the UN committee was charged with monitoring the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The criticism of the Catholic opposition to abortion, he observed, “is a contradiction of the principle of life that the convention should support, recommending that children be protected before and after birth.”

The archbishop also said that the UN committee had not recognized the limited authority of the Vatican over the world’s priests. The Holy See has repeatedly told UN officials that individual bishops are responsible for discipline of their priests, and individual countries are responsible for violations of their own laws. The UN report passed over that distinction, holding the Vatican responsible for the misdeeds of priests worldwide.

The UN report also gave short shrift to reforms implemented by the Vatican, as well as by national bishops’ conferences, to remove abusive priests. The report complained that the Vatican is still maintaining a policy of secrecy, since the Holy See will not make public the records of canonical inquiries into abuse cases. “We think it is a horrible thing that is being kept silent both by the Holy See itself and in the different local parishes,” said Kirsten Sandberg, who chaired the committee that produced the critical report.

The UN report did allow that there was evidence of more “progressive” policies under Pope Francis. But that comment could be attributed to an ideological perspective, since the UN applauded the Pope for his statements against mistreatment of homosexuals.

Writing in the Boston Globe, Vatican journalist John Allen (formerly of the National Catholic Reporter) speculated that while most Vatican officials are committed to a more open response to sexual abuse, the UN report could have a negative effect “by blurring the cause of child protection with the culture wars over sexual mores.” He pointed out that some of the reforms suggested by the UN committee—such as disciplinary action against bishops who protected predatory priests-- were already being proposed by influential Catholic leaders. But the report’s forays into issues such as abortion and homosexuality would tempt many Church officials to dismiss the UN proposals.

However Vatican officials promised that the proposals for reform contained in the UN report would be given serious consideration. “There will be an articular response,” said Archbishop Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State. Father Federico Lombardi, the director of the Vatican press office, said that the Holy See recognized the need for “greater transparency” in handling sex-abuse cases. The Vatican spokesman said that a detailed response to the UN report would be issued “in the coming days or weeks.”

 

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Further information:

• Press Release on Observations of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (VIS)
• Holy See responds to UN Committee on Rights of the Child (Vatican Radio)
• UN committee blasts Vatican on sex abuse, abortion (AP)
• Archbishop Tomasi reacts to UN report observations (Vatican Radio)
• U.N. Panel Assails Vatican Over Sexual Abuse by Priests (New York Times)
• Vatican official says UN report based on ideology (ANSA)
• Defending the rights of minors (L’Osservatore Romano)
• Vatican spokesman says need for greater 'transparency' (ANSA)
• U.N. panel blasts Vatican handling of clergy sex abuse, church teachings on gays, abortion (Washington Post)
• Vatican 'must immediately remove' child abusers – UN (BBC)