Vatican envoy rejects UN report on child sex abuse by clerics

A top Vatican official has reportedly rejected a United Nations' damning report about the Holy See's handling of the clerical sex abuse scandal, branding it as out of date and unfair.

After the appearance last month of a Holy See delegation before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the expert panel published a series of highly critical observations accusing the church of failing to acknowledge the scale of the problem.

The committee also asked the church to implement policies that led to 'the continuation of the abuse and the impunity of the perpetrators,' the Guardian reports.

According to the report, the committee said it was particularly concerned about allegations of children being abused by priests.

The panel also found fault with some central church teachings and their impact on children's health.

The panel urged the Vatican to reconsider its stance on abortion and contraception, and encouraging it to tone down criticism of homosexuality to reduce social stigmatisation and violence against gay youths and children raised by gay couples.

In a swift response, the Vatican released a statement saying it would submit the findings 'to a thorough study and examination' but did not appreciate being asked to change its position on issues it considered immutable.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Holy See's permanent observer at the UN in Geneva, said he had been surprised by the findings, which he considered 'not up to date' and a distorted depiction that ignored recent progress, the report added.