VATICAN CITY
New Tang Dynasty Television
Many of the Catholics attending the pope’s weekly audience at the Vatican agree with a hard-hitting U.N. report on children’s rights demanding the immediate removal of clergy who are known or suspected child sex abusers.
Dark clouds hung over the Vatican on Wednesday as the United Nations published a scathing report blaming the Catholic Church for not doing enough to prevent abuse against children.
Pope Francis was in St. Peter’s square on Wednesday greeting crowds ahead of his weekly general audience. He called on children during his speech to pilgrims, to make sure they worked hard to prepare themselves for their first communion.
“It is important that children prepare themselves well for their first communion and all children do this because it is the first strong, strong step towards Jesus Christ after baptism,” the pope said.
In the unprecedented report the United Nations demanded the Vatican “immediately remove” all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers and turn them over to civil authorities.
The U.N. watchdog for children’s rights said the Holy See should also hand over its archives on sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children so that culprits, as well as “those who concealed their crimes”, could be held accountable.
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