As the Holy See braces itself for another grilling from another United Nations committee, some prominent pro-life leaders are arguing the Church should withdraw from relevant conventions until it receives a fair hearing.
Vatican officials are to appear before the U.N.’s Committee Against Torture Monday and Tuesday this week, during which they are expected to be quizzed over clerical sex abuse from the perspective of torture and inhuman treatment.
It follows harsh criticisms in January by the U.N. committee that monitors children’s rights.
In its concluding report, the Committee on the Rights of the Child accused the Holy See of systematically placing its own interests over those of victims, but it ignored stringent measures put in place by the Church in recent years to eradicate such crimes. The U.N. body also exceeded its remit by calling on the Church to change its teaching on homosexuality, contraception, and abortion.
