Pope replaces Santiago bishop after abuse cover-up claims
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati, the archbishop of Santiago, Chile, who has been caught up in the country's sex abuse scandal. A Vatican statement on Saturday said the pope had named Bishop Celestino Aós Braco of the Chilean city of Copiapó, as "apostolic administrator" to run the Santiago archdiocese until a new archbishop is named to succeed Ezzati.
- World
- AP
- Published Date: 12:00 | 23 March 2019
- Modified Date: 02:55 | 23 March 2019
Pope Francis has replaced Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati , the embattled archbishop of Santiago, Chile, after he became embroiled in the country's spiraling sex abuse and cover-up scandal.
Francis on Saturday accepted Ezzati's resignation and named a temporary replacement to govern Chile's most important archdiocese: the current bishop of Copiapo, Monsignor Celestino Aos Braco.
The 77-year-old Ezzati had submitted his resignation two years ago when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. But Francis kept him on, and he became the flashpoint of abuse survivors' ire for mishandling several cases of abuse.
Francis himself became embroiled in the scandal after initially discrediting victims during his 2018 trip to Chile.
After realizing his error, Francis summoned all Chile's active bishops to the Vatican and strong-armed them to offer their resignations.