The Children vs the Church: Human Rights and the Holy See in the Sex Abuse Crisis

Zambrana-Tévar, Nicolás

doi:10.1007/978-94-6265-515-7_63

Nicolás Zambrana-Tévar⁷

1452 Accesses

Abstract

From 2014 to 2016, several reports issued by United Nations Treaty Bodies made some very severe criticisms about what they saw as the deficient fulfilment of the obligations that the Holy See had as a party to human rights treaties. In particular, these treaty bodies insisted that the Holy See, as supreme governing body of the Catholic Church, had international obligations of an extraterritorial nature and that it had to discharge those duties making sure that local churches all over the world aligned their actions and teachings with the protection of human rights. In light of the scandals of child abuse, the Treaty Bodies argued that those extraterritorial obligations had been breached. The Holy See responded that it not only did not have such extraterritorial obligations but that its position as supreme governing body of the Church did not allow it to inappropriately interfere in the internal life of local churches and of the states where the churches were located. This chapter is a contribution to the understanding of the human rights obligations of religious actors.

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Notes

1.
Lytton 2008; O’Reilly and Chalmers 2014.
2.
Allen 2004, p. 292.
3.
Lytton 2008, pp. 55 et seq.
4.
Hoyano and Keenan 2007, pp. 216 et seq.
5.
Lupu and Tuttle 2004, pp. 1–124.
6.
Witte and Nichols 2016, pp. 222 et seq.
7.
John Paul II 1983, Code of Canon law—Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC), can. 134 http://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/cic_index_en.html. Accessed 15 September 2020.
8.
Zambrana 2020a, pp. 2010–11.
9.
Giliker 2010, pp. 55 et seq.
10.
Martinez 2008, p. 123; Zambrana 2020b, pp. 33–46.
11.
Lateran Treaty, 11 February 1929, 23 Am. J. Int’l L. Sup. 187 (1929).
12.
Tribunal de Justiça do Paraná TJ-PR: 8451003 PR 845100-3, Acórdão, 21 June 2012.
13.
Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly, Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee, Child Abuse in Institutions: Ensure Full Protection of the Victims, 20 September 2010, Doc. 12358, para 18, https://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-XML2HTML-en.asp?fileid=12527&lang=en. Accessed 15 September 2020.
14.
Council of Europe, Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, 12 July 2007, CETS No.: 201.
15.
The Holy See is a party to the European Cultural Convention (1954), the European Convention on the Protection of the Archaeological Heritage (1969), the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (1989), the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region (1997) and the protocol amending the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (1998). The Holy See is also a member of the Council of Europe Development Bank and of the European Centre for Global Interdependence and Solidarity.
16.
Ibid., para 26.
17.
Ibid., para 30.
18.
ICC File No. OTP-CR-159/11, 13 September 2011, https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/our-cases/snap-v-pope-et-al. Accessed 15 September 2020.
19.
Ibid., part III.
20.
Ibid., paras 134, 136 and 183; Expert Opinion of Thomas Doyle, Exhibit A-1, paras 12, 21–27.
21.
O'Bryan v. Holy See, 471 F. Supp 2d 784 (W.D. Ky. 2007), part III.B.
22.
Doe v. Holy See, 557 F.3d 1066 (9th Cir. 2009); Expert Declaration of Thomas P Doyle, J.C.D., C.A.D.C., Docket No. 302, dated 12 March 2012, para 13.
23.
Anderson v. Holy See, 878 F. Supp 2d 923 (N.D. Ill. 2012).
24.
Roman Catholic Archbishop v. Superior Court, 93 Cal. Rptr. 338 (Cal. Ct. App 1971).
25.
ICC Office of the Prosecutor, Letter of 31 May 2013, OTP-CR-159/11.
26.
Cismas 2017, pp. 310 et seq; Milanovic 2014; Editorial, The U.N. Confronts the Vatican. The New York Times. 5 February 2014. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/06/opinion/the-un-confronts-the-vatican.html. Accessed 13 September 2020.
27.
Cismas 2017, p. 311.
28.
CRC 1995, Concluding Observations on the Second Periodic Report of the Holy See, 27 November 1995, UN Doc. CRC/C/15/Add.46, paras 8 and 9.
29.
Ibid, para 11; Arsheim 2018, pp. 224–5.
30.
Ibid., para 14.
31.
CRC 2014, Concluding Observations on the Second Periodic Report of the Holy See, 31 January 2014, UN Doc. CRC/C/VAT/CO/2, para 8.
32.
Ibid., para 8.
33.
Ibid., paras 16, 17, 20, 30, 32, 63.
34.
Ibid., para 38.
35.
Ibid., paras 40 and 43.
36.
Crimen Sollicitationis, Holy See, Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, Addressed to all patriarchs, archbishops, bishops and other local ordinaries also of the oriental rite on the manner of proceeding in causes of solicitation, 16 March 1962, Vatican Polyglot Press http://www.vatican.va/resources/resources_crimen-sollicitationis-1962_en.html. Accessed 15 September 2020.
37.
Ibid., para 24.
38.
Ibid., paras 26 and 30.
39.
CRC, Concluding Observations on the Report Submitted the Holy See under Article 12, para 1, of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, 31 January 2014, UN Doc. CRC/C/OPSC/VAT/CO/1.
40.
Ibid., paras 26, 31, 32.
41.
CRC, Concluding Observations on the Report Submitted the Holy See under Article 8, para 1, of Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, 31 January 2014, UN Doc. CRC/C/OPAC/VAT/CO/1.
42.
Ibid., paras 7, 13, 14, 17 and 18.
43.
Ibid., para 5.
44.
GA, Interim report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 7 August 2015, UN Doc. A/70/303, para 14.
45.
CAT, Concluding Observations on the Initial Report of the Holy See, 17 June 2014, UN Doc. CAT/C/VAT/CO/1.
46.
Ibid., paras 8 and 10.
47.
UN Doc. CAT/C/VAT/CO/1, Extracts for Follow Up, para 11.
48.
Wilde 2016, pp. 635 et seq.; Schutter et al. 2012, pp. 1084 et seq.
49.
Ibid., para 10.
50.
UN Doc. CAT/C/SR.1223, 22 May 2014, para 21.
51.
UN Doc. CAT/C/SR.1220, 23 June 2014, para 5.
52.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Concluding Observations on the Report Submitted by the Holy See under Article 9 of the Convention, 1 May 2001, UN Doc. CERD/C/304//Add.89.
53.
Ibid., paras 3 and 9.
54.
Ibid., paras 4 and 7.
55.
Ibid., paras 9–13.
56.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Concluding Observations on the Combined Sixteenth to Twenty-third Periodic Reports of the Holy See, 7 December 2015, UN Doc. CERD/C/VAT/CO/16-23.
57.
UN Doc. CERD/C/SR.2395, 1 December 2015, para 49.
58.
UN Doc. CERD/C/VAT/CO/16-23, paras 8 and 13.
59.
Ibid., paras 4 and 5.
60.
Ibid., paras 20 and 21.
61.
Ibid., para 19.
62.
John Paul II (2001) Motu proprio Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela by which are promulgated norms on more grave delicts reserved to the congregation for the doctrine of the faith. https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_jp-ii_motu-proprio_20020110_sacramentorum-sanctitatis-tutela.html. Accessed 15 September 2020.
63.
UN Doc. CERD/C/SR.2394, 1 December 2015; UN Doc. CERD/C/SR.2395, 1 December 2015.
64.
CERD/C/SR.2395, para 56.
65.
CERD/C/SR.2394, para 11.
66.
Ibid., para 12.
67.
Ibid., para 13.
68.
Ibid., para 15.
69.
Ibid., para 22.
70.
Ibid., para 33.
71.
UN Doc. CERD/C/SR.2395, para 55.
72.
Ibid., paras 20 and 21.
73.
Vega Gutiérrez 2008, pp. 235–236.
74.
UNGA Resolution 58/314, 1 July 2014, UN Doc. A/RES/58/314.
75.
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Documents Working Papers, 2008 Ordinary Session (First part), 21–25 January 2008, Volume II, Doc. 11471 – 22 January 2008, p. 25 and Addendum, Doc. 11500.
76.
Multilateral Treaties deposited with the Secretary-General, Status as at 31 December 1991, United Nations, New York, 1992, pp. 200–201; https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11&chapter=4&clang=_en. Accessed 17 September 2020.
77.
Ibid., pp. 200–201.
78.
Verbal Note N. 4322/2014/RS of 22 September 2014 from the Secretariat of State of the Holy See: Comments of the Holy See on the Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, presented by the Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations, N. 11399//2014 https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CRC/Shared%20Documents/VAT/INT_CRC_COB_VAT_18491_E.pdf, para 18.
79.
CRC, Initial Report of the Holy See, 28 March 1994, UN Doc. CRC/C/3/Add.27, para 1.
80.
Verbal Note N. 4322/2014/RS of 22 September 2014, para 3.
81.
CRC, Second Report of the Holy See, 27 September 2011, UN Doc. CRC/C/VAT/2, para 98.
82.
https://holyseemission.org/contents/mission/past-papal-visits-to-the-united-nations-organization.php.
83.
Verbal Note N. 4322/2014/RS of 22 September 2014, paras 3 and 10.
84.
CRC, Summary Record of the 1852 Meeting, 16 January 2014, UN Doc. CRC/C. /SR.1852, para 3.
85.
Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See in Geneva, Presentation of the Periodic Reports of the Holy See to the CRC, 16 January 2014. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/secretariat_state/2014/documents/rc-seg-st-20140116_tomasi-child-rights_en.html. Accessed 13 September 2020.
86.
CRC, Second Report of Holy See, UN Doc. CRC/C/VAT/2, 22 October 2012, para 38; CRC, Initial Report of the Holy See on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, 8 November 2012, UN Doc. CRC/C/OPSC/VAT/1, para 25.
87.
Verbal Note N. 4322/2014/RS of 22 September 2014, paras 7 and 9. Accessed 26 September 2020.
88.
Ibid., para 8.
89.
Witte and Nichols 2016, chapter 12; Schouppe 2015, chapter 5.
90.
Ibid., para 9.
91.
Granfield 1987, pp. 114 et seq.; Grigorita 2011, pp. 383 et seq.
92.
Presentation of the Initial Periodic Report of the Holy See to the Committee on the Convention against Torture (5 May 2014—Palais Wilson, Geneva).
93.
CRC, Second Report of the Holy See, 27 September 2011, UN Doc. CRC/C/VAT/2, para 5.
94.
Apostolic letter issued motu proprio of the supreme pontiff Francis on the jurisdiction of judicial authorities of Vatican City State in criminal matters, 11 July 2013. http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio_20130711_organi-giudiziari.html. Accessed 17 September 2020.
95.
CRC, Summary record of the 1852 meeting, 16 January 2014, UN Doc. CRC/C. /SR.1852, para 24.
96.
Comments of the Holy See on the Concluding Observations of the Committee against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Nota verbale N. 2254/15/RS, 15 May 2015, para 5. https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CAT/Shared%20Documents/VAT/CAT_C_VAT_CO_1_Add-1_20599_E.pdf. Accessed 13 September 2020.
97.
Ibid., paras 16 and 22.
98.
CERD, Periodic Report of the Holy See, UN Doc. CERD/C/VAT/16-23, 4 September 2014, paras 33 and 34 https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G14/154/90/PDF/G1415490.pdf?OpenElement. Accessed 27 September 2020.
99.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Eighty-eighth session, Summary record of the 2394th meeting, UN Doc. CERD/C/SR.2394, 1 December 2015, para 3 https://undocs.org/CERD/C/SR.2394. Accessed 27 September 2020.
100.
Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, Eighty-eighth session, Summary record of the 2395th meeting, UN Doc. CERD/C/SR.2395, 1 December 2015, paras 18 and 21 https://undocs.org/CERD/C/SR.2394. Accessed 27 September 2020.
101.
Ibid., paras 18 and 39.
102.
Ibid., para 9.
103.
John Paul II 1993, Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), §1213.
104.
Exchange of notes of 16 and 28 October 1957; Tomasi 2012, p. 17.
105.
Victims Communication to the ICC, para 144.
106.
St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Quaestio 104, Article 5.
107.
John XXIII 1961, Apostolic Constitution Humanae Salutis. https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/la/apost_constitutions/1961/documents/hf_j-xxiii_apc_19611225_humanae-salutis.html. Accessed 15 September 2020.
108.
ETO Consortium, Maastricht Principles on Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, January 2013, Principle 26 https://www.etoconsortium.org/nc/en/main-navigation/library/maastricht-principles/?tx_drblob_pi1%5BdownloadUid%5D=23. Accessed 13 September 2020.

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School of Law, KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Nicolás Zambrana-Tévar

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School of Law, KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Sergey Sayapin
School of Law, KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Rustam Atadjanov
National Law School of India, Pune, India
Umesh Kadam
Law and Social Sciences, University of Derby, Derby, UK
Gerhard Kemp
School of Law, KIMEP University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Nicolás Zambrana-Tévar
Bristol Law School, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
Noëlle Quénivet

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Zambrana-Tévar, N. (2022). The Children vs the Church: Human Rights and the Holy See in the Sex Abuse Crisis. In: Sayapin, S., Atadjanov, R., Kadam, U., Kemp, G., Zambrana-Tévar, N., Quénivet, N. (eds) International Conflict and Security Law. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-515-7_63

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-515-7_63
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