The Vatican told critics of its sexual abuse record on Tuesday that it had developed model child protection policies over the last decade and that its accusers should not stay “fossilized in the past” when attitudes were different.
Addressing the United Nations Committee on Torture, the papal ambassador in Geneva admitted the Roman Catholic Church had in the past protected priests who molested minors but had not done so in years because it understood the issue better.
Archbishop Silforget vio Tomasi was responding to questions from the committee, which grilled him on the Vatican’s record on Monday and called for a permanent investigation system to end what it called a “climate of impunity” within the Church.
