Vatican Sex Scandal: UN Blasts Holy See With Report Citing Mexican Priest Child Abuse

The Associated Press writes that a UN human rights committee blasted the Vatican on Thursday for its handling of sex abuse scandals involving pedophile priests around the world, with committee members grilling Vatican officials on what they called their “efforts to cover up and obscure these types of cases”. Among a plethora of complaints brought up by investigators in their questioning was the report “Clerical Pederasty by Mexicans in Mexico and In Other Countries 1944-2013”, signed by 169 organizations and individuals before being submitted to the UN committee this past December.

Animal Politico notes that the report, drawn up to “offer a different perspective” from that given by the Santa Sede in November of last year, accuses earlier Vatican statements on its response to claims of sexual abuse as “false”. It says the priorities of church officials are clear: “Their objective is to protect the image of the Church and its ministers and avoid public scandal. It does not seek to protect the victims nor avoid and/or denounce the acts themselves.” It also cites two cases as emblematic of the Church’s response to sexual abuse allegations in Mexico: those of Father Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ congregation, and Nicolás Aguilar, who together are accused of abusing between 90 and 112 minors in Mexico and the United States.

UN committee members also asked Vatican officials about the case of Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, the Vatican’s ambassador to the Dominican Republic, whom Dominican prosecutors are investigating for possible sexual abuse. Last week, the Vatican announced that it would not be extraditing Wesolowski to his native Poland despite an ongoing investigation being carried out there against him, saying Vatican law did not allow for it. According to the AP, Holy See officials conceded that more needed to be done to combat the problem but insisted that responsibility for priests accused of pedophilia around the globe falls on local law enforcement, saying they aren’t Vatican functionaries but rather church members.