Saturday, February 08, 2014

Vatican spokesman Lombardi says UN has exceeded the limit

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The observations made in the report by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child “seem to go beyond its powers and to interfere in the very moral and doctrinal positions of the Catholic Church, giving indications involving moral evaluations of contraception, or abortion, or education in families, or the vision of human sexuality, in light of [the Committee’s] own ideological vision of sexuality itself,” said the director of the Holy See Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, in a statement published by Vatican Radio.

The report contains “serious limits”, Fr. Lombardi observed. “In particular, the [Observations’] lack of understanding of the specific nature of the Holy See seem serious.” “One is entitled to amazement,” he explained.


“The way in which the objections [contained in the Concluding Observations] were presented, as well as the insistence on diverse particular cases, seem to suggest that a much greater attention was given to certain NGOs, the prejudices of which against the Catholic Church and the Holy See are well known, rather than to the positions of the Holy See itself,” Francis continued.
 
It is not appropriate to speak of confrontation “between the UN and the Vatican” the Vatican spokesman claimed.” The United Nations is a reality that is very important to humanity today. the United Nations, at the highest levels, appreciate and desire the support of the Holy See and positive dialogue with it. So does the Holy See.”
 
“Finally, one cannot but observe that the tone, development, and the publicity given by the Committee in its document are absolutely anomalous when compared to its normal progress in relations with other States that are party to the Convention,” the statement goes on to say.
 
“In sum: if the Holy See was certainly the subject of an initiative and a media attention in our view unfairly harmful, one needs to recognize that, in turn, the Committee has itself attracted much serious and well-founded criticism. Without desiring to place [responsibility for] what has transpired “[on] the United Nations”, it must be said that the UN carries the brunt of the negative consequences in public opinion, for the actions of a Committee that calls itself [by the UN name].”



“Let us try to find the correct plan of commitment for the good of the children – even through the instrument of the Convention. The Holy See will not allow its careful and reasoned responses to be lacking,” Fr. Lombardi ended his statement by saying.