Pope Francis on Friday accepted the resignations of two more bishops from Chile, which is investigating more than 100 cases of sexual abuse by the clergy, the Vatican said.
An entire Chilean delegation of 34 bishops tendered their resignation to the pope in May. Francis had accepted five of those resignations and on Friday said he had accepted a further two: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrin Barrera, 60, bishop of San Bartolome de Chillan, and Cristian Enrique Contreras Molina of San Felipe.
Both are being investigated by prosecutors in Chile for alleged sexual abuse.
Prosecutors said last month that they were looking into 119 cases related to the sexual abuse of minors since 1960.
167 under probe
They said 167 bishops, priests and lay members of the Catholic Church were being investigated. Among those implicated is the country’s most senior Catholic figure, Santiago Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati. He faces accusations that he helped cover up sexual abuse in his diocese.
Pope Francis has apologised repeatedly to Chileans over the scandal. He said the church failed “to listen and react” to the allegations, but vowed to “restore justice.”
