On October 14, the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the UN, gave an intervention before the Sixth Committee of the Seventy-First Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Agenda Item 85, dedicated to “The scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction.”  

In its statement, the Holy See said that universal jurisdiction, if it respects subsidiarity, can serve the common good by preventing impunity in cases of serious violations of international humanitarian rights that cannot be addressed by traditional bases of jurisdiction. Greater clarity is needed, however, to define when such universal jurisdiction could be exercised fairly and efficiently, while safeguarding the sovereignty of national legal systems and preventing uses of it. The Holy See urged continued discussion and debate toward forming an international consensus of experts. 

The statement can be found here.