Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
2004-2014 · 10 years · show in timeline

United Nations 2014: Committee on the Rights of the Child accuses the Holy See of placing the Church's reputation and the protection of perpetrators above children's welfare; Committee against Torture cites 848 priests dismissed from the clerical state

As a state party to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture, the Holy See had to answer to two UN committees in 2014. In February 2014 the Committee on the Rights of the Child found that clerics worldwide had been involved in the sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children; the Holy See had not acknowledged the extent and had adopted practices that enabled continued abuse and impunity. Well-known abusers had been transferred from parish to parish or to other countries, and the Holy See had declined to provide data on the cases. In June 2014 the Committee against Torture cited the delegation's figures: 3,420 credible allegations against priests from 2004 to 2013, 848 dismissals from the clerical state. It criticised that Holy See officials resisted mandatory reporting to state authorities.

Period
2004-2014 (10 years)
Country
Vatican City
Institutions
Holy See
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
UN Committee against Torture
Category
Sexual abuse, Cover-up, Forced adoption
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. The Committee on the Rights of the Child also expressed deep concern that members of Catholic congregations in several countries had forcibly removed thousands of babies from their mothers and placed them in orphanages or with adoptive parents abroad, notably in Spain and in the Irish Magdalene laundries.
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Abs. 58
    „The Committee is deeply concerned that thousands of babies have been forcibly“
    Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, Abs. 58. Original

How were they charged and sentenced?

  1. Before the UN Committee against Torture the Holy See delegation cited 3,420 credible allegations of sexual abuse by priests confirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith between 2004 and 2013; 848 priests were dismissed from the clerical state and 2,572 disciplined otherwise, for example through a life of prayer and penance. In its observations of 17 June 2014 the committee regretted that no data were provided on how many cases had been reported to state authorities, and expressed concern about reports that Holy See officials resist mandatory reporting and that accused or convicted clerics were transferred to other dioceses.
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee against Torture, Abs. 10
    „confirmed 3,420 credible allegations of sexual abuse by priests between 2004-2013“
    Concluding observations on the initial report of the Holy See, CAT/C/VAT/CO/1, Abs. 10. Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee against Torture, Abs. 10
    „ecclesiastical penal process, including the defrocking of 848 priests and disciplining of“
    Concluding observations on the initial report of the Holy See, CAT/C/VAT/CO/1, Abs. 10. Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee against Torture, Abs. 11
    „In this regard, the Committee regrets that the State party did not provide requested“
    Concluding observations on the initial report of the Holy See, CAT/C/VAT/CO/1, Abs. 11. Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee against Torture, Abs. 11
    „officials resist the principle of mandatory reporting of such allegations to civil authorities“
    Concluding observations on the initial report of the Holy See, CAT/C/VAT/CO/1, Abs. 11. Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee against Torture, Abs. 12
    „accused or convicted by civil authorities of such offenses were transferred to other dioceses“
    Concluding observations on the initial report of the Holy See, CAT/C/VAT/CO/1, Abs. 12. Original

Background

Response of the Church

  1. In its concluding observations of 25 February 2014 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed deep concern about the sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children worldwide by clerics. The Holy See had not acknowledged the extent of the crimes and had adopted policies and practices that enabled continued abuse and impunity for the perpetrators. In dealing with allegations it had consistently placed the preservation of the Church's reputation and the protection of perpetrators above the child's best interests, as several national commissions of inquiry had observed.
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Abs. 43
    „been involved in the sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children worldwide“
    Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, Abs. 43. Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Abs. 43
    „continuation of sexual abuse by clerics and impunity for the perpetrators“
    Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, Abs. 43. Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Abs. 29
    „has consistently placed the preservation of the reputation of the Church and the protection“
    Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, Abs. 29. Original
  2. According to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, well-known abusers were transferred from parish to parish or to other countries in an attempt to cover up the crimes; dozens were reported to be still in contact with children. The Holy See declined to give the committee data on all cases brought to its attention and their outcome. Due to a code of silence imposed on all clerics under penalty of excommunication, cases had hardly ever been reported to police; mandatory reporting to state authorities had never been introduced and had been explicitly rejected in a 1997 letter to the Irish bishops.
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Abs. 43 (a)
    „or to other countries in an attempt by the Church to cover-up such crimes“
    Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, Abs. 43 (a). Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Abs. 43 (b)
    „Committee with data on all cases of child sexual abuse brought to its attention over the“
    Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, Abs. 43 (b). Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Abs. 43 (d)
    „Due to a code of silence imposed on all members of the clergy under penalty“
    Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, Abs. 43 (d). Original
    Evidence: United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child, Abs. 43 (e)
    „Reporting to national law enforcement authorities has never been made“
    Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, Abs. 43 (e). Original

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Government report
    United Nations, Committee on the Rights of the Child: Concluding observations on the second periodic report of the Holy See, CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, 25 February 2014. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
  2. Government report
    United Nations, Committee against Torture: Concluding observations on the initial report of the Holy See, CAT/C/VAT/CO/1, 17 June 2014. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
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