The pope continues the "cleaning" in Chile: he accepted the resignation of a cardinal investigated for concealment

ROME.- In a story that had a great impact in Chile, a country particularly affected by the scandal of

badual abuse

the pope today accepted the resignation of Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, who had opened an investigation for concealing such crimes. This was announced in a statement from the Holy See Press Office, which, as usual, did not detail the reason for the resignation of the prelate, who was very questioned about his treatment of the abuse scandal and whose departure was actually waited for the weather

Indeed, even though he resigned at the age of 75, as usual, the entire Chilean episcopate resigned en bloc before the pope last May, as part of a cleansing that Francisco has started to repair. the abuses, after a devastating report from the Maltese archbishop,
Charles Scicluna, special envoy to Chile and great specialist in pedophilia.

In replacement of Ezzati, the pope named Bishop Celestino Aós Braco, a Capuchin of Spanish nationality, apostolic administrator of the "vacant seat" of the archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, who had until now been bishop of Copiapó. , according to the Vatican Press Service.

Yesterday again, the eighth chamber of the Santiago Court of Appeal had unanimously rejected the request for revocation requested by Cardinal Ezzati, president of the Bishops' Conference of Chile from 2010 to 2016, who had made the Purpose of investigation for alleged concealment. After this decision, the 77-year-old high priest should be prosecuted for three cases of concealment following the raids of the Santiago Archdiocese and other ecclesiastical dependencies conducted last July by the prosecutor Emiliano Arias, who got huge documents complaints from victims of abuse.

This is the case of ex-Chancellor Oscar Muñoz, who announced in January 2018 for mistreating minors, including members of their families; Marist Jorge Laplagne, accused of badual violence against young people (case also involving the predecessor of Ezzati in Santiago, Cardinal Francisco Errázuriz); and Father Tito Rivera, recently accused by a person of about 50 years of being drugged and raped in the cathedral.

According to Vatican Insider, if found guilty, Cardinal Ezzati could go to prison. Although Ezzati, born in Italy, is also in a complicated situation because the Senate may soon decide to withdraw the Chilean citizenship, which he received 8 years ago through his services.

"Cleaning"

In this context, it is expected for some time that the pope will accept the resignation of Ezzati, become the eighth Chilean bishop to leave office in less than a year. Francisco has begun the "cleansing" in the hierarchy of the Chilean Church, the most discredited in Latin America, after a tormented trip to Chile, last January, marked by the fire, chanted by the scandal of the Abuse and by his defense of Juan
Barros, Bishop of Osorno was also accused of concealment.

After having sent to Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna, the Vatican's leading specialist in pedophilia, everything has changed. After reading his report, resulting in interviews of more than 60 people, the pope apologized for misunderstanding the situation and summoned the Chilean bishops to Rome to take action "in the short , medium and long terms "pity" This meeting, last May, resulted in an unprecedented resignation en bloc, which led to the gradual departure of several bishops, including Barros.

Last May, Francisco also invited the Vatican to spend three days with him in front of three emblematic victims of the abuses of the pedophile priest.
Fernando Karadima-Juan Cruz Carlos, James Hamilton and José Andrés Murillo, who have always demanded the dismissal of Ezzati. "To Bishop Aóz, I wish him the best in his administration to manage the disaster of Santiago, which unites the clergy and collaborates with justice," said Cruz in a tweet. "No matter what better than Ezzati and his gang," he added, "and, hopefully, respond to Chilean justice before escaping from the country."