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Vatican's UN ambassador Silvano Tomasi in Geneva, prior to the start of a questioning over clerical sexual abuse of children.
- Priests were defrocked in two years
- UN ambassador faces questioning in Geneva

A document obtained by the Associated Press shows that Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests in just two years, for molesting children.

The statistics for 2011-12 represent the first time that the Vatican has provided details on the number of priests who have been defrocked. Prior to that, it had only revealed the number of alleged cases of sexual abuse it had received.

The document was prepared from data the Vatican had been collecting to help the Holy See defend itself before a UN committee this week in Geneva.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's UN ambassador in Geneva, referred to just one of the statistics in the course of eight hours of often pointed criticism and questioning from the UN human rights committee. The AP obtained the document on Friday.

Source: AP