For all of the positive publicity that Pope Francis is getting for himself and the Roman Catholic Church in his first year, there is still very serious, unfinished business to be dealt with.  The UN will pose tough questions to Vatican officials on the topic of the sexual abuse of thousands of children by clergy.

The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) will pose tough, wide-ranging questions to members of Holy See, the Vatican’s diplomatic wing, in a hearing in Geneva on Thursday.  The Holy See is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a legally-binding document recognizing the full range of human rights of children.

At issue are instances and allegations of the Roman Catholic Church shielding pedophile priests at the expense of their victims to protect the church’s reputation and economic interests.  Questions will include how priests, nuns, and monks who were guilty of sexual crime were allowed to remain in contact with children; what legal action had been or should have been taken against them; and how the complainants were treated, and if they were silenced.

Since taking the reigns at the Vatican, Pope Francis has said the church must deal with the sex abuse crisis to rebuild its credibility.  He has so far formed a committee to fight sex abuse and reached out to help victims.