VATICAN CITY — After an in-depth Vatican-led investigation into
clerical sexual abuse and cover-ups, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of
61-year-old Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, Chile, and two other Chilean bishops
June 11.
The two other bishops, who had reached the customary retirement
age of 75, were Archbishop Cristian Caro Cordero of Puerto Montt and Bishop
Gonzalo Duarte Garcia de Cortazar of Valparaiso.
The pope named apostolic administrators to run each diocese in
the meantime: Mercedarian Father Ricardo Basilio Morales Galindo, Chilean
provincial, for the Archdiocese of Puerto Montt; Auxiliary Bishop Pedro
Ossandon Buljevic of Santiago for the Diocese of Valparaiso; and Auxiliary
Bishop Jorge Concha Cayuqueo of Santiago for the Diocese of Osorno.
The announcement came as Pope Francis was sending his Vatican team
back to Chile to promote healing from the abuse crisis.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta and Father Jordi Bertomeu
Farnos were set to visit the Diocese of Osorno "with the aim of advancing
the process of reparation and healing of abuse victims," the Vatican said
in a statement May 31.
Abuse survivors have alleged that when Bishop Barros was still a
priest he witnessed their abuse by his mentor, Father Fernando Karadima. In
2011, Father Karadima was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance by the
Vatican after he was found guilty of sexually abusing boys.
Archbishop Scicluna, who is president of a board of review
handling abuse cases within the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and
Father Bertomeu, an official of the doctrinal congregation, were scheduled to
be in Santiago June 12-13 before going to Osorno June 14-17.
The resignation of Bishop Barros comes after years of accusations
and questions concerning his knowledge of abuse by his mentor and protests when
Pope Francis appointed the then-head of the military ordinariate to head the
Diocese of Osorno in 2015.
The pope continued to defend his appointment, telling reporters:
"The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I will speak. There is
not one piece of evidence against him. It is calumny."
A short time later, the Vatican announced Pope Francis was
sending Archbishop Scicluna and Father Bertomeu to Chile to listen to people
with information about Bishop Barros.
After receiving their 2,300-page report detailing the extent of
clergy sexual abuse in Chile, the pope apologized.
In a letter released April 11, Pope Francis said he had been
mistaken in his assessment of the situation in Chile, and he begged for
forgiveness from survivors and others he offended. He met survivors at the
Vatican and has been strong in his criticism of how the Chilean bishops handled
the situation. All the Chilean bishops offered their resignations to the pope
in response to their handling of the crisis.