Pope accepts resignation of two more Chilean bishops after sex scandal

© Stefano Rellandini

Pope Francis waves as he arrives to lead the Wednesday general audience in Saint Peter's square at the Vatican, June 27, 2018.

AFP

Pope Francis accepted the resignation of two more Chilean bishops following a child sex abuse scandal that has gripped the Latin American nation.

The Vatican announced the resignation of the bishop of Rancagua, 78-year-old Alejandro Goic Karmelic, and the bishop of Talca, Horacio del Carmen Valenzuela Abarca, 64.

Several senior members of Chile's Catholic Church are accused by victims of ignoring and covering up child abuse by pedophile priest Fernando Karadima during the 1980s and 1990s.

The entire Chilean delegation of bishops tendered its resignation to the pope in May after a series of meetings at the Vatican.

Earlier this month, Francis accepted the resignation of three Chilean bishops, including the controversial Juan Barros, who Karadima's victims accuse of covering up wrongdoing.

The pontiff himself became mired in the scandal when, during a trip to Chile in January, he defended Barros. However, the pope later apologized to Karadima's victims and said he had made "grave mistakes."