UN grills Vatican over child sex abuse

The United Nations’ anti-torture watchdog grilled the Vatican over its efforts to stamp out child sex abuse by priests. It was the first time the Vatican has been scrutinized since it signed up to a global convention banning torture and degrading treatment. UN committee members demanded details of prosecutions by the Roman Catholic Church’s canon law courts, its cooperation with national law enforcement, and the extent of Vatican awareness of misdeeds in individual dioceses. The Church insists the UN anti-torture convention, legally applies only to the territory of Vatican City. But critics say the Vatican and individual dioceses have helped abusers escape justice by failing to report their crimes and transferring them to new parishes.

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