Vatican officials face U.N. on sexual abuse

Rome (CNN) - For the first time, the Vatican is being forced to answer allegations it enabled the sexual abuse of children by protecting pedophile priests as a U.N. committee concludes its investigation of the Holy See.


A handful of Vatican officials, including Monsignor Silvano Tomasi, permanent observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva, and Monsignor Charles Scicluna, the Vatican's former chief sex-crimes prosecutor, stood ready to answer questions during two Thursday sessions.

"It's a first step," said Joelle Casteix, a regional director for SNAP -- the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. "Five years ago we never thought that something like this would even be possible."

Since taking the helm of the Roman Catholic Church in March, Pope Francis has told a senior Vatican official to "act decisively" against sexual abuse and carry out "due proceedings against the guilty."

In April, Francis recommended that the Church's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith "act decisively with regard to cases of sexual abuse, first of all by promoting measures for the protection of minors, as well as in offering assistance to those who have suffered abuse, carrying out due proceedings against the guilty," the Vatican said at the time..

The statement does not specify who "the guilty" are.

But in recent years, priests, nuns and other people connected to the Catholic Church have been accused of sexually abusing children.

Francis called for the Church hierarchy to "formulate and implement" the necessary directives to address an area he described as "so important" to the Church's credibility and worship.

The pope said that the "victims of abuse are present in a particular way in his prayers for those who are suffering," the Vatican said.

Even with the inroads, SNAP would like to see more action from the Vatican.
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