GENEVA
ABC News (Australia)
By Europe correspondent Mary Gearin, wires
The UN’s torture watchdog has criticised the Vatican for its reported refusal to provide information to authorities, including a NSW inquiry into child sex abuse.
The committee in Geneva says it is concerned about allegations that last year the Vatican’s representative in Australia invoked diplomatic immunity when refusing to provide documents to assist the NSW Special Commission of Inquiry into sex abuse.
The UN Committee against Torture has called on the Vatican to cooperate promptly with civil authorities.
The UN also criticises the church for its insistence that its obligations under international law stop at the borders of the Holy See.
Prior to the report’s publication, the Vatican released a statement saying the committee would heavily criticise its handling of abuse cases but would not find it in violation of an anti-torture convention.
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