Vatican Slams UN Report For 'Interfering With Church Teachings'

After the UN published a damning report on the Vatican's record on priest abuse, human rights, as well as its stance on homosexuality, contraception, and abortion, the Holy See slammed the international body for "interfering with church teachings."

The report specifically focused on the policies regarding sex abuse, and urged the Vatican to open its files on pedophile priests and the superiors that concealed their activities from the law. However, it also addressed core Church teachings on what constitutes life, with policy recommendations on abortion and contraception that go against Catholic beliefs.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's representative to the UN, criticized the UN for taking a "really negative approach" to the recent reforms that the Vatican has done to address the issue of sex abuse within the church, reports Vatican Radio. He emphasized the commitment of the Vatican to eliminating priest abuse, saying in an interview that every case of child abuse is "a case too much."

The Vatican also slammed the UN for asking the Catholic Church to accept the practice of abortion, which Tomasi described as "a contradiction with the principle of life" that the UN itself should be defending. Tomasi said that the Committee did not seem to properly understand Church teachings on the matter.

The Vatican press office released a statement that said that the Holy See noted the recommendations, but expresses regret over “an attempt to interfere with Catholic Church teaching on the dignity of human person and in the exercise of religious freedom.”