A UN human rights committee has denounced the Vatican for adopting policies that covered up sex abuse by priests, according to published reports.
The report claims that the Vatican “systematically” adopted policies that allowed clergy members to rape and molest tens of thousands of children.
In the report, the UN committee demands immediate action, strongly encouraging the Vatican to open its files and immediately remove all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers. In addition, the committee’s also urging the Vatican to take concrete steps to help the victims of abuse.
The same committee also criticized the Holy See for it’s views on homosexuality, contraception and abortion in it’s report.
The Vatican is expected to make a statement about the concerns listed in this newly-released report on Wednesday (Feb. 5).
In the report, the committee states that the Vatican did not take necessary measures that could prevent repeat cases of child abuse.
Previously, the Holy See’s delegation denied allegations of covering the abuse up and said it had put guidelines in place to protect children from future attacks.
Last month, a senior Vatican official admitted that there is no excuse for child sex abuse when he and others were grilled by the U.N. committee.
