UN to the Vatican: Come clean on former envoy to Dominican Republic

Geneva.- The Vatican’s responsibility in child abuse cases isn’t limited to its territory and covers abuses committed in third countries as long as the Holy See "exercises effective control" over the perpetrator, UN Committee to prevent torture affirmed Friday, EFE reports.

The Vatican’s interpretation that it lacks legal jurisdiction and responsibility over crimes committed by its priests in third countries "isn’t consistent" with the International Convention on the prevention of torture, of which it forms part, the Committee said.

It reminded the Vatican that the Convention requires responsibility for the acts of the people who work for it and "over which it exerts control" regardless of where they carry out their function.

"The State is responsible for the acts and omissions of its officers and others acting officially or on behalf of the State,” the UN said, noting that “this responsibility extends to the actions or omissions on the part of State officials deployed for operations abroad."

The Committee cited the case of Polish bishop Jozef Wesolowski, former Vatican envoy to Dominican Republic, who allegedly paid for sex with boys, and demanded that the city-state investigate the case "promptly" and disclose its findings.