UN committee blasts Vatican on sex abuse, abortion

UN committee blasts Vatican on sex abuse, abortion

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican “systematically” adopted policies that allowed priests to rape and molest tens of thousands of children over decades, a U.N. human rights committee said today, urging the Holy See to open its files on pedophiles and bishops who concealed their crimes. In a devastating report hailed by abuse victims, the U.N. committee severely criticized the Holy See for its attitudes toward homosexuality, contraception and abortion and said it should change its own canon law to ensure children’s rights and their access to health care are guaranteed.