The UN has denounced the Vatican for "systematically" adopting policies which enabled priests to sexually abuse thousands of children, BBC reported Wednesday.
The Holy See must "immediately remove" all clergy who are known or suspected child abusers, said the UN watchdog for children's rights.
It heavily criticised the Vatican's attitudes towards homosexuality, contraception and abortion, the report added.
In December, the Vatican refused a UN request for statistics on abuse, stating that it only released such information if requested to do so by another country as part of any legal proceeding.