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UN panel presses Catholic hierarchy on handling of child sex abuse by priests UN panel grills Catholic hierarchy on handling of child sex abuse by priests
(about 3 hours later)
The Vatican has come under intense pressure from a United Nations panel to explain its handling of clerical sex abuse as representatives of the Holy See were questioned on the global scandal for the first time at length and in public. The Vatican has come under intense pressure from a UN panel to explain its handling of clerical sex abuse as its representatives were questioned on the global scandal at length for the first time in public.
International experts from the UN's committee on the rights of the child grilled a delegation from the Holy See, which is regarded as a sovereign state, on Thursday, as victims of sexual abuse by priests flew into Geneva to watch the highly unusual proceedings. Experts from the UN's committee on the rights of the child grilled a delegation from the Holy See, which is regarded as a sovereign entity, yesterday, as victims of sex abuse by priests flew into Geneva to watch the proceedings.
As the hearing got under way, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See's envoy to the UN in Geneva, kept to the line that the Holy See was distinct from the global Catholic church and had little jurisdiction in countries beyond the Vatican city-state. As the hearing got under way, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See's envoy to the UN, made it clear that there was no excuse for violent or exploitative behaviour towards children. "Such crimes can never be justified, whether committed in the home, in schools, in community and sports programmes, in religious organisations structures," he said.
"Priests are not functionaries of the Vatican," Tomasi told the committee. "Priests are citizens of their own states, and they fall under the jurisdiction of their own country." But he kept to the line that the Holy See was distinct from the global Catholic church and had little jurisdiction in countries beyond the Vatican city state. The guidelines already put in place by the Holy See and Catholic churches around the world had, when properly applied, presented a way of eliminating the scourge of abuse, he said.
However, Pam Spees, a lawyer with the New York-based Centre for Constitutional Rights, which is seeking to hold Vatican officials responsible for sexual abuse crimes, called this response "shocking". "It was a pretty direct, pretty blunt effort to sidestep the questions," she said. "Priests are not functionaries of the Vatican," Tomasi told the committee. "Priests are citizens of their own states, and they fall under the jurisdiction of their own country." However, he added that the Vatican would welcome any suggestions from the committee that would assist it in ensuring "efficient implementation" of reforms.
The guidelines already put in place by the Holy See and Catholic churches around the world had, "when properly applied", presented a way of eliminating the scourge of abuse, said Tomasi. Those suggestions – and a torrent of questions relating to the Catholic church's response, past and present, to the scandal – were not slow in coming.
However, Sara de Jesus Oviedo Fierro, the committee's main human rights investigator, contested this view, saying the Holy See had "not established any mechanism to investigate perpetrators of sexual abuse and to prosecute them". Experts interrogated the Holy See on many issues, including an alleged lack of transparency in its handling of abuse cases and their aftermaths, punishment of abusers that was often insufficient, and inadequate co-operation with civil judicial authorities.
Kirsten Sandberg, chair of the 18-strong UN committee, told the Vatican delegation: "The view of committee is that the best way to prevent abuses is to reveal old ones – openness instead of sweeping offences under the carpet. It seems to date your procedures are not very transparent." Questioned about an instance from 2001, when Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, a then senior Vatican official, praised French bishop Pierre Pican for not reporting to civil authorities a priest in his diocese who had raped a boy, Charles Scicluna, a former sex crimes prosecutor for the Vatican and auxiliary bishop of Malta, indicated this was an area on which the Holy See knew the approach had to change.
Tomasi said the Vatican would welcome any suggestions from the UN committee that would assist it in ensuring "efficient implementation" of reforms. Pointing out that the example was from more than a decade ago, he said: "The Holy See gets it. Let's not say 'too late' or not. There are certain things that need to be done differently." He added: "It is not a policy of the Holy See to encourage cover-ups." He also insisted that the Holy See "willingly collaborates" with the judicial authorities in civil states.
Those suggestions – and with them a torrent of questions relating to the Catholic church's response, past and present, to the scandal – were not slow in coming. Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), which has 15,000 US members and 4,000 foreign members since being launched 25 years ago, said the Vatican response was "more of the same" and fell far short of what victims wanted. But his words did not convince Pam Spees, of the US-based advocacy group the Centre for Constitutional Rights, who said the Vatican's "performance" was unsurprising. "The Vatican attempted to relegate the issue to the past and claim it is a new era, that they now 'get it,' but they continue to refuse to turn over records for prosecution, punish higher-ups that covered up the crimes, or provide any real evidence that they are now putting the safety of children above the reputation of the Church," she said.
"These church officials continually cite new policies that sound progressive and sound adequate, and yet we never see any evidence of following these policies. The policies are empty, and the policies have no teeth to be enforced," she said. "They have done this so many times over the decades. "Nonetheless, today's hearing is a milestone in calling for an end to these days of impunity. The international community is demanding answers, and that is the first step toward true accountability and, we hope, an end to the widespread violence against children."
"What we want to see is the Vatican punish bishops who covered up sex crimes and we want them to turn over information they have about crimes to police," she said.
Experts interrogated the Holy See on many issues, including what they said was a lack of transparency in its handling of abuse cases and their aftermaths, punishment of abusers that was often insufficient and inadequate co-operation with civil judicial authorities.
Questioned about an instance from 2001, when Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos, a then senior Vatican official, praised a French bishop, Pierre Pican, for not reporting a priest in his diocese who had raped a boy to civil authorities, Charles Scicluna, a former sex crimes prosecutor for the Vatican and auxiliary bishop of Malta, indicated that this was an area on which the Holy See knew the approach had to change.
Pointing out that the example was from more than a decade ago, he said: "The Holy See gets it. Let's not say 'too late' or not. There are certain things that need to be done differently."
He added: "It is not a policy of the Holy See to encourage cover-ups."
The delegation's appearance in Geneva was a mandatory part of the Holy See's duties as a signatory of the UN convention on the rights of the child, which it ratified in 1990. The build-up to the hearing had already been hit by controversy when, in December, the Holy See refused to provide detailed information requested on abuse cases and specific information concerning their handling and investigation, citing confidentiality norms.The delegation's appearance in Geneva was a mandatory part of the Holy See's duties as a signatory of the UN convention on the rights of the child, which it ratified in 1990. The build-up to the hearing had already been hit by controversy when, in December, the Holy See refused to provide detailed information requested on abuse cases and specific information concerning their handling and investigation, citing confidentiality norms.
On Thursday, as the panel began a day of questioning, it showed little sign of wanting to indulge the delegation. One expert asked specifically about the Vatican's handling of two cases that have caused particular embarrassment to the church: one from the past, that of the sexual scandals of the disgraced Legion of Christ founder Marcial Maciel, and another which is ongoing, concerning Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, the former apostolic nuncio, or ambassador, to the Dominican Republic. Wesolowski was recalled to Rome this summer after facing accusations of abusing teenage boys. Yesterday, as the panel began a day of questioning, it showed little sign of wanting to indulge the delegation. Some statements appeared to be welcomed, but the Holy See was urged to take more "concrete, visible actions" to push ahead with its efforts to tackle the problem.
Tomasi dodged the committee's question about whether Wesolowski would be turned over to secular authorities for prosecution. The Vatican has said it does not extradite its own citizens. Tomasi said Wesolowski was being investigated by the Vatican's own prosecutors. One expert asked specifically about the Vatican's handling of two cases that have caused particular embarrassment to the church: one from the past, that of the sexual scandals of the disgraced Legion of Christ founder Marcial Maciel, and another, which is ongoing, concerning Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, the former apostolic nuncio (ambassador) to the Dominican Republic. Wesolowski was recalled to Rome this summer after facing accusations of abusing teenage boys.
Another expert focused on why in the past abusive priests had been simply moved from one parish to another and often allowed to have more contact with children. Other experts focused on why in the past abusive priests had been simply moved from one area to another and often allowed to have more contact with children. Scicluna said that "offender mobility [was] a grave concern", adding that dioceses and parishes were now obliged to pass on information concerning a priest wanting to move on.
"I think this type of practice needs to be ceased," she said, adding that the Holy See needed to tackle the entire problem "in a more comprehensive and complete way". In their remarks, both Scicluna and Tomasi said the Catholic church was keen to become "an example of best practice" in the sphere of child protection. They said that changes – including a set of guidelines unveiled in 2011 – provided a framework for effective handling of the problem.
In their remarks, both Scicluna and Tomasi said the Catholic church was keen to become "an example of best practice" in the sphere of child protection. They said that changes – including a set of guidelines unveiled in 2011 – provided a framework for effective handling of the problem. Tomasi also made it clear that there was no excuse for violent or exploitative behaviour towards children. "Such crimes can never be justified, whether committed in the home, in schools, in community and sports programmes, in religious organisations structures," he said. But Scicluna acknowledged that it was "a work in progress" and that "more transparency and accountability on the local level" was needed. Last month Pope Francis announced the establishment of a new committee to fight clerical sex abuse, a direct result of consultation with cardinal advisers from outside the Vatican.
Last month Pope Francis announced the establishment of a new committee to fight clerical sex abuse, a direct result of consultation with cardinal advisers from outside the Vatican.
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