This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-25748952

The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
UN panel hears Vatican over child sex abuse by clergy UN panel hears Vatican over child sex abuse by clergy
(35 minutes later)
A UN panel in Geneva has begun hearing a report by Vatican officials on the sexual abuse of thousands of children by Roman Catholic clergy. A UN panel in Geneva has begun questioning Vatican officials on the sexual abuse of thousands of children by Roman Catholic clergy.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said the Holy See saw the person of every child as "inviolable - body, mind and spirit". For the Vatican, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said such crimes could "never be justified" and every child was "inviolable - body, mind and spirit".
The Vatican refused an earlier request for information, saying the cases were the responsibility of the judiciary of countries where abuse took place. The Vatican refused an earlier request for data, saying cases should be heard in the countries where they took place.
It was accused of responding inadequately to abuse allegations.It was accused of responding inadequately to abuse allegations.
This is the first time the Holy See is defending itself in public over its record on sex abuse.
Victims say they hope the hearing, which is being broadcast live, will prompt the Church to end its "secrecy".Victims say they hope the hearing, which is being broadcast live, will prompt the Church to end its "secrecy".
Pope Francis has said dealing with abuse is vital for the Church's credibility. Pope Francis announced last month that a Vatican committee would be set up to fight sexual abuse of children in the Church and offer help to victims. He also broadened the definition of crimes against minors to include sexual abuse of children.
Last month, he announced a Vatican committee would be set up to fight sexual abuse of children in the Church and offer help to victims.
He has also strengthened Vatican laws on child abuse, broadening the definition of crimes against minors to include sexual abuse of children.
The Holy See is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a legally binding instrument which commits it to protecting and nurturing the most vulnerable in society.The Holy See is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a legally binding instrument which commits it to protecting and nurturing the most vulnerable in society.
The Holy See ratified the convention in 1990 but after an implementation report in 1994 it did not submit any progress reports until 2012. The Holy See ratified the convention in 1990 but after an implementation report in 1994 it did not submit any progress reports until 2012, following revelations of child sex abuse in Europe and beyond.
That followed intense criticism after revelations of child sex abuse cases in Europe and beyond in 2010.
'Inviolable''Inviolable'
It was, Archbishop Tomasi said, important to establish the truth of what had happened in the past, to prevent it ever happening again, to see justice done and to provide healing for the victims.It was, Archbishop Tomasi said, important to establish the truth of what had happened in the past, to prevent it ever happening again, to see justice done and to provide healing for the victims.
The Vatican, he told the panel, would welcome any suggestions from the UN panel to implement its obligations.The Vatican, he told the panel, would welcome any suggestions from the UN panel to implement its obligations.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is expected to ask wide-ranging questions, forcing the Holy See to defend itself in public for the first time. Members of the UN's Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) asked the Vatican delegation about the Church's practice of moving priests suspected of abuse and allegations that it had covered up crimes against children.
It faces allegations that it enabled the sexual abuse of thousands of children by protecting paedophile priests at the expense of victims. One member asked why the Vatican described sexual abuse as "delicts [offences] against morals" instead of simply crimes against children.
Last July, the UN Committee requested detailed information about the particulars of all sexual abuse cases notified to the Vatican since 1995. Last July, the CRC requested 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, and whether complainants were silenced.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, and whether complainants were silenced.
In its response, the Holy See said 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.In its response, the Holy See said 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.
It stressed that it had changed the criteria for choosing priests and revised Church law to ensure clergy were properly disciplined.It stressed that it had changed the criteria for choosing priests and revised Church law to ensure clergy were properly disciplined.
It also insisted that as a diplomatic entity it was "separate and distinct" from the Roman Catholic Church.It also insisted that as a diplomatic entity it was "separate and distinct" from the Roman Catholic Church.
This was dismissed as a false distinction by critics like Britain's National Secular Society, which said the Holy See operated a "firm command and control structure over the worldwide Church".This was dismissed as a false distinction by critics like Britain's National Secular Society, which said the Holy See operated a "firm command and control structure over the worldwide Church".
'We request justice''We request justice'
The hearing in Geneva was welcomed by Italian man Teodoro Pulvirenti, who was abused by a priest as a teenager in Sicily.The hearing in Geneva was welcomed by Italian man Teodoro Pulvirenti, who was abused by a priest as a teenager in Sicily.
Mr Pulvirenti, who now lives in the US, told the Associated Press it was time for the Vatican to end its "secrecy" over a global sex abuse scandal.Mr Pulvirenti, who now lives in the US, told the Associated Press it was time for the Vatican to end its "secrecy" over a global sex abuse scandal.
He recalled how he had gone to the priest for guidance and had been abused instead. He recalled how he had gone to the priest for guidance as a teenager.
"One day I was desperate, I needed someone to talk to, I was a teenager in crisis... fights with my brother and other kids," he said. "I went to his office and... something strange happened and he started putting his hands under my T-shirt and that's when the abuse actually started," he said.
"One day, I went to his office and... something strange happened and he started putting his hands under my T-shirt and that's when the abuse actually started." He moved to America in 2006 but returned to Sicily in 2011 and confronted the priest, Don Carlo Chiarenza, who was subsequently found guilty by the Vatican and dismissed from his diocese. The decision is currently under appeal.
He says he never told anyone about his experiences and moved to America in 2006. However, in 2011, he returned to Sicily and confronted the priest, Don Carlo Chiarenza.
After secretly recording a conversation with the priest, in which the cleric apparently admitted what he had done, he went public with the tape and his story.
The priest was suspended from public service and last year, following a Vatican inquiry, was found guilty and dismissed from his diocese. The decision is currently under appeal in court in the Vatican.
"I'm not coming out against the Vatican and I don't want the Church to think the victims are against the Church, against the Vatican," Mr Pulvirenti said. "We are standing up for our own survival, but we request justice.""I'm not coming out against the Vatican and I don't want the Church to think the victims are against the Church, against the Vatican," Mr Pulvirenti said. "We are standing up for our own survival, but we request justice."