Today a United Nations human rights committee demanded that the Vatican immediately remove all clergy that have been accused of child abuse and immediately turned them over to authorities. In response, the Vatican accused the UN of interfering with church teachings on the dignity of human person and of violating the exercise of religious freedom.

The UN also demanded that the church open their archives in order to reveal bishops and other officials who concealed crimes in order that they may be held accountable.

The Vatican said on Wednesday that the reports conclusions were out of date and that many of the changes called for in the report have already been made.

In the report it stated, “The committee is gravely concerned that the Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators.”

The panel that issued the report is the same panel that examined the Vatican’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. That international agreement was signed by the Vatican as well is 140 other sovereign entities. The Vatican faced public examination for the first time last month on its record of sexual abuse when the panel held hearings.

The report recommended that the Vatican should stop obstructing efforts by victims advocates to extend statutes of limitations that have many times allowed abusers to escape prosecution and also recommended that the Vatican stop insisting that victims sign confidentiality agreements to keep them quiet in order to receive compensation. The report also asked that the Vatican count as well as financially support the children fathered by Catholic priests without imposing confidentiality agreements.

In response to the church’s claim that the Vatican has no jurisdiction over bishops and priests around the world, and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child agreement that the Vatican signed pertained only to the tiny territory of Vatican City, the panel said that when the Vatican ratified the convention they took responsibility for making sure that the agreement is followed by all people and institutions under the Vatican’s authority around the world.

Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in the United States has declined sharply in recent years after the crisis became public in 2002. Since that time, background checks and screening requirements for priests and church volunteers have been instituted. The US also requires that abuse allegations be reported to law enforcement authorities by the church. Even so, there still has yet to be any top US church officials held legally accountable for allowing abuse to fester within the church.