Vatican rebuffs United Nations sex abuse inquiries

[theHandpuppet]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25204805

Vatican rebuffs United Nations sex abuse inquiries
BBC News
December 3, 2013

The Vatican has refused to provide information requested by the United Nations on the alleged sexual abuse of children by priests, nuns or monks....

...The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child put a wide-ranging questionnaire to the Holy See - the city state's diplomatic entity - last July, asking for detailed information about the particulars of all sexual abuse cases notified to the Vatican since 1995.

The questions included whether priests, nuns and monks guilty of sexual crime were allowed to remain in contact with children, what legal action had been taken against them, whether the Church required clergy to report abuse to secular authorities and whether complainants were silenced.

In its response, the Holy See insisted that it was "separate and distinct" from the Roman Catholic Church, and that it was not its practice to disclose information about the religious discipline of clergy unless specifically requested to by the authorities in the country where they were serving....

http://news.uk.msn.com/world/vatican-dodges-un-sex-abuse-queries

...The Vatican's position was laid out in a response to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child about its implementation of the 1989 UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, the main UN treaty guaranteeing a full range of human rights for children.

The Holy See ratified the convention in 1990 and submitted a first implementation report in 1994. But it did not provide progress reports for nearly a decade, and only submitted one last year after coming under renewed pressure following the 2010 explosion of child sex abuse cases in Europe and beyond....

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/12/04/uk-vatican-abuse-idUKBRE9B304A20131204?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

..."The Holy See does not exercise effective control over the local activities of Catholic institutions around the world," the response read, indicating the Catholic Church's central administration could only be held accountable for events within the Vatican City State.

The U.S.-based advocacy group the Center for Constitutional Rights criticised the responses as too vague.

"In claiming it only bears responsibility for what happens inside Vatican City and blaming the lack of prevention ... on local governments, the Holy See has taken one of its most explicitly disingenuous and misleading positions on the issue to date," the rights group said in a statement....

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57604023/
September 21, 2013, 1:40 PM
Pope keeps cleric who leads crackdown on liberal U.S. nuns
(excerpt)
In another important decision, Francis left Archbishop Gerhard Mueller in the powerful role of prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Mueller, originally appointed by Benedict XVI, directs the Holy See's crackdown on nuns suspected of undermining Catholic teaching on the priesthood and homosexuality. His office also shapes policy dealing with clergy who sexually abuse minors.
Under Mueller's tenure, critics of the Vatican's strategy have so far been frustrated in their lobbying for Vatican and other church hierarchy to be held accountable for policy that for decades left pedophile priests in their ministry, merely shuffling them from parish to parish when complaints emerged....

[Agschmid]

1. The Vatican PR department sure won't be mentioning this...

you know...

the same way they mention how the pope goes on his "night walks of charity".

[Aerows]

2. It seems

that the Church can't do one good thing without turning around and doing something awful. I like Pope Francis' positions on helping the poor, but the bashing gay marriage and not addressing sexual abuse of children is appalling.

[Agschmid]

4. +1

[Katashi_itto]

6. +1 Hyperpluralism at it's best

[CoffeeCat]

3. The Catholic church is still a vile, evil, pedophile-enabling institution...

...and they're still covering up pedophilia and refusing to cooperate. Not only do these power-drunk narcissists rebuff the UN, they refuse to cooperate in local police investigations. They still cover up for pedophile priests and deny the victims justice. They're using Pope Francis's good deeds as a PR device, to repair their damaged reputation.

It's not going to work.

Expecting that compassionate acts by a figurehead will somehow hide this institution's pro-child-rape stance--is beyond the pale.

We are not that stupid.

[SidDithers]

5. Quick!! We need a photo-op!!...nt

Sid

[theHandpuppet]

7. Kick

For the afternoon crowd.

[Vashta Nerada]

8. So how's the Pope's PR department going to handle this?