Catholic women urge Vatican to sign Europe rights convention

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — A consortium of Catholic women’s groups is calling on the Holy See to join the Council of Europe and sign the European Convention on Human Rights. In a petition marking the U.N. Day for Human Rights, the groups said the Holy See is recognized internationally as a sovereign state and presents itself as a firm promotor of human rights and dignity. Yet they noted the Vatican hasn’t followed up by adhering to the gold standard of rights protections around the world. The Holy See enjoys observer status at the United Nations and the Council of Europe, and has signed a host of U.N. and Council of Europe conventions. But it has never signed the European Convention on Human Rights, which among other things prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, gender or political beliefs.