GENEVA
The New York Times
By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE and LAURIE GOODSTEIN
MAY 23, 2014
GENEVA — The Vatican on Friday faced criticism from a United Nations panel for the second time this year over failures to report priests accused of sexually abusing children to civil authorities or to ensure redress for victims.
The panel, which is monitoring the Holy See’s compliance with an international treaty prohibiting torture, called on the Vatican to “take effective measures” to monitor the behavior of individuals under its control and prevent abuse.
In a statement, the Holy See said the Committee Against Torture had not found it in violation of the treaty, which prohibits torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Panel members bluntly contradicted that assertion. The committee makes recommendations when it sees states that are not living up to the requirements of the convention, and had issued eight pages of recommendations to the Holy See over what it said were its failures in preventing abuse, investigating accusations and compensating victims, Felice Gaer, the committee’s vice chairwoman told reporters in Geneva.
“You have the answer in front of you,” she said.
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