In the face of devastating criticism by a UN committee over its record of handling clerical sex abuse, the Church has veered from angry rebuttal to gentle correction. Yet there has never been a greater need for an unambiguous Catholic champion of the rights of the child Last week the United Nations committee in Geneva that verifies compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child issued a blistering, and now widely known, criticism of the Holy See’s adherence to that international treaty. As expected, its findings contained a merciless critique of how the Vatican has dealt with clergy sexual abuse of minors. It also called on Church officials to modify policies, teachings and laws it believes are in violation of children’s rights and welfare in other areas, such as g