by Tony Iozzo
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe
GENEVA — A United Nations panel questioned representatives from the Vatican on Thursday about its handling of decades worth of reports regarding sexual abuse by members of the clergy.
Thursday’s panel was the first such interrogation of the Vatican by an international body. The United Nations committee in Geneva is examining the Vatican’s failure to adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The UNCRC calls on countries that adopt the agreement to protect children from sexual and physical abuse. The UN committee will issue final observations and recommendations on February 5th, but it has no authority to issue sanctions, and its recommendations are nonbinding.
The Vatican representatives contended that the sexual abuse cases were not the responsibility of the Vatican, but rather of local law enforcement and local dioceses to investigate and prosecute the offenders. The representatives did concede that the Church could “do better to prevent these crimes.”
“The Holy See gets it. Let’s not say too late or not, but there are certain things that need to be done differently.” Bishop Charles J. Scicluna, the Vatican’s chief prosecutor of sexual abuse up until 2012, stated to the panel.
The Center for Constitutional Rights submitted documents and victims’ testimony as evidence that the Vatican had allowed sexual abusers to remain in their posts and even transported them to different locations without informing law enforcement officials or local dioceses.
The UN panel questioned Bishop Scicluna about why the Vatican does not require local dioceses to report abusive conduct to authorities. “Our guidelines have always said the domestic law of the country needs to be followed,” he simply stated.
During Thursday’s UN panel, Pope Francis participated in a morning Mass with a private audience and Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the former archbishop of Los Angeles. Last year, leaked documents revealed that Cardinal Mahoney had a history of protecting priests accused of sexual abuse. The documents were released via a court-order, and Cardinal Mahony was relieved of his duties shortly thereafter.
At the Mass, the Pope delivered a homily about scandal in the church, never mentioning sexual abuse, but speaking to “those failings of priests, bishops, laity.” Francis stated, “Scandals in the church happen because there is no living relationship with God and his word.”
For more information, please see:
Al Jazeera – Vatican Defends Child-Protection Record – 16 January 2014
BBC News – UN Panel Confronts Vatican on Child Sex Abuse by Clergy – 16 January 2014
The Guardian – UN Condemns Vatican Over Handling of Clerical Sex Abuse of Children – 16 January 2014
New York Times – UN Panel Questions Vatican on Handling of Clergy Sexual Abuse – 16 January 2014
The Washington Post – Vatican Defends Sex Abuse Record to UN Panel – 16 January 2014
