Vatican Investigates Chilean Bishop over Sexual Abuse Allegations
By Mischa Wilmers
Sources close to the Church say the Vatican has been investigating sex abuse claims for months. The Vatican is launching a historic investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of a minor perpetrated a Chilean bishop, according to sources close to the Church. It is the first time a Chilean bishop has been investigated by the Vatican. Fourty-seven-year-old Marco Antonio Órdenes Fernández, bishop of the northern city of Iquique, is being investigated by Ivo Scapolo, the Vatican's Chilean representative who began looking into the case four months ago. Scapolo has been assigned the task of determining if the allegations are true and whether any other complaints have been made against the bishop. Sources claim the Bishop stepped down from his position in August, according to La Tercera. However, the bishop has blamed ill health for his absence from several religious events in the last few months, including the Diocese of Iquique, held during Fiestas Patrias in September. Órdenes is said to have protested his innocence and informed his inner circle he was being investigated, asking them to pray for him. Órdenes first came to the public's attention in 2006 when he became the youngest bishop ever to assume the role at only 41 years of age. He chairs the Committee on Pastoral and Religiosity Multitudes of the Latin American Ecclesial Conference and is in charge of leading the annual religious Feast of La Tirana in Pozo Almonte, Iquique. Contact: wilmers@santiagotimes.cl
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