{{The Vatican has told the United Nations that the Holy See’s powers to prosecute abusive priests do not extend beyond the tiny Vatican City state.}}
“The Holy See has no jurisdiction over every member of the Catholic Church,” Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said.
The archbishop, who is the papal envoy to the UN, was speaking in Geneva to the UN Committee against Torture.
Victims of clerical sex abuse argue that the Catholic Church has failed to protect children and shielded abusers.
They also argue that rape and molestation of children come under the terms of the UN Convention against Torture.
It is the second time this year that the Vatican is being scrutinised by the United Nations over its record in dealing with child sex abuse by priests.
Archbishop Tomasi said the Vatican could only apply the UN convention – which it signed in 2002 – inside Vatican City, which has a resident population of less than 1,000.
UN experts challenged that position, alleging it was an attempt to deflect criticism by using excessively legalistic arguments, media reports from Rome.
The Vatican will give its response on Tuesday.
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