Vatican says Irish state solely responsible Magdalene laundries

A top Vatican official has told a UN committee that responsibility for the Magdalene Laundries scandal lies solely with the Irish authorities.

Officials from the Holy See are facing questions in Geneva over allegations of child abuse in the Catholic Church across the world.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi told the committee that the Vatican's view was that the Irish state had taken full responsibility for the abuse scandal at the Magdalene Laundries;