VATICAN CITY/GENEVA
Bloomberg
By Andrew Frye Feb 5, 2014
A United Nations committee decried the Vatican’s response to sexual abuse on children by its clergy, saying the Holy See allowed alleged predators to strike again because it was more concerned about its reputation than the victims.
“In dealing with child victims of different forms of abuse, the Holy See has systematically placed preservation of the reputation of the church and the alleged offender over the protection of child victims,” the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said in a report released today. The panel said it is concerned the Holy See “has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators.”
The Vatican, in an English-language response sent by e-mail, said it is committed “to defending and protecting the rights of the child.” The Vatican also said, without further explanation, it saw in the committee’s report “an attempt to interfere with Catholic Church teaching on the dignity of human person and in the exercise of religious freedom.”
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