The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on Wednesday in Geneva urged the Holy See to conduct in-depth inquiry into sexual abuse of children by its clergy around the world.
The Holy See is the ecclesiastical of the Catholic Church in Rome and the Episcopal seat of the Pope.
The UN body said the investigation must be conducted in a public manner by involving victims and human rights bodies.
It urged the Holy See to involve victims and international human rights institutions in the work of the Vatican’s commission on sex crimes, which was set up in December 2013.
It said it was gravely concerned that the Holy See had not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed and not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children.
It said some of the Vatican’s policies had led to the continuation of abuse.
It also said the commission’s findings should be made public and the Vatican should unseal archives on abusers and on those who protected them within the church.
dpa/NAN.
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