Today, Amnesty International issued its annual global report on the state of human rights and named the Vatican in its list of countries with human rights violations.
In its report, Amnesty International specifically cited the Vatican for its failure to remove priests accused of sexual abuse from ministry, not co-operating with authorities, and not giving victims the proper relief, saying “The Holy See did not sufficiently comply with its international obligations relating to the protection of children.”
We are encouraged to see an internationally-known organization like Amnesty International take notice of the worldwide problem of clergy sexual abuse. This announcement is a positive step toward exposing the Vatican and most importantly, protecting children who are at risk of sexual abuse.