Religion
Vatican Responds to Next Round of UN Abuse Inquiry
Vatican police chief commander Domenico Giani, right, pours Pope Francis a drink into a mate gourd, a traditional South American cup, that was offered by faithful as the pontiff is driven through the crowd at the end of a Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, April 13, 2014. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has responded to the latest round of U.N. sex abuse inquiries by suggesting it is only responsible for implementing a U.N. treaty against torture within the confines of the tiny Vatican City State.
The Vatican issued a statement Tuesday ahead of a May 5-6 hearing that will likely delve into the Vatican’s failures to stop clergy sex abuse around the globe. Another U.N. committee interrogated the Holy See about abuse in January.
In an indication that it will seek to limit its responsibility, the Vatican said it signed the torture treaty in 2002 “exclusively in the name of and on behalf of” the 44-hectare (110-acre) Vatican City State, where fewer than 1,000 people live. The Vatican said it will “undertake its obligations on behalf of that state.”
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