Pope Francis accepted the resignation of three bishops on Monday, one of whom was accused of covering up part of the child sex abuse scandal in Chile.
The Holy See confirmed that the pope accepted the resignations of Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno, Bishop Gonzalo Duarte of Valparaiso and Bishop Cristian Caro of Puerto Montt.
Bishop Barros was accused of protecting the Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was found guilt of sexual abusing minors.
The bishop denied ever having knowledge of Father Karadima’s behavior.
The pope initially stood by Bishop Barros, but then later said he had made “grave errors in judgment” about the bishop, The Associated Press reported.
Bishop Duarte and Bishop Caro both resigned because they reached the required retirement age for bishops.
The news comes as the Roman Catholic Church continues investigations into child sex abuse claims in several countries. A probe into sexual abuse claims and the church’s handling of the situation in Pennsylvania could be public by the end of June, AP reported.
