GENEVA
The New York Times
By NICK CUMMING-BRUCE
MAY 5, 2014
GENEVA — The Vatican faced sharp questioning by a United Nations panel on Monday about its response to the sexual abuse of children by priests and whether it was consistent with the church’s obligations under an international treaty against torture.
Appearing before a United Nations panel for the second time this year, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican’s representative in Geneva, immediately found himself at odds with members of the Committee Against Torture over the Holy See’s view that it is responsible for applying the treaty only to the few hundred inhabitants of the Vatican City state.
That position was countered in February by a United Nations child rights committee, which accused the Roman Catholic Church of putting its reputation and interests ahead of those of children and said the Holy See was also responsible, as the supreme power of the church, for ensuring implementation through individuals and institutions placed under its authority.
The Committee Against Torture had never encountered an attempt by a state party to the treaty to limit its application to only “a subdivision” of itself, the panel’s vice chairwoman, Felice D. Gaer, said.
The church’s limited interpretation of its obligations left “important gaps” in the coverage of the treaty — known formally as the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment — and was not consistent with its purpose, she said.
“The purpose of the convention is not being implemented in full,” she said.
Pope Francis announced the formation of a commission in December to advise on sexual abuse. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, briefing journalists at the weekend, said the panel would issue clear and effective protocols that would hold accountable senior clerics and officials who did not report suspected abuse.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.