[JURIST] The Vatican City State Tribunal [official website] on Saturday delayed [press release] the child abuse trial of former papal diplomat Józef Wesołowski due to an “unexpected illness” that resulted in hospitalization. The accused, formerly stationed in the Dominican Republic, is charged with pedophilia and possession of child pornography. Reports [The Guardian] that Wesolowski roamed the streets of the Dominican in search of young male victims led to the removal of Wesolowski’s diplomatic immunity last year and subsequent arrest. This is the first Vatican child abuse case since Pope Francis [Vatican bio] approved [Apostolic letter] changes to the criminal laws of the Vatican City State in July 2013 to allow judicial proceedings against any Vatican employee, including in areas dealing with child abuse and terrorism financing.

Achieving transparency and legal accountability within the Catholic church is an on-going struggle. In May 2014 the Vatican insisted [JURIST report] before a Geneva committee that the universal governing structure of the Catholic church does not include an obligation to protect against torture worldwide, but instead within the confines of the small Vatican City.The UN Committee on the Convention on the Rights of the Child [official website] in January 2014 criticized [JURIST report] the Vatican on the its handling of child sex abuse cases. During questioning in Geneva, committee member Sara Oviedo forced Vatican officials to acknowledge [AFP report] that the central church governance had been slow to react to allegations of sexual abuse by clergy members.