On Chilean abuses crisis, Francis says removing bishops is ‘needed’ but not enough

Ines San Martín
VATICAN CORRESPONDENT

May 18, 2018

ROME— Heads will roll in the Chilean Church after the summit between Pope Francis and the 34 local bishops who met in Rome this week.

Though this was hinted at in a letter the Vatican made public on Thursday, a leaked document goes further, with the pontiff saying that removing people, though necessary, is not enough.

The problems facing the Chilean church today are not solved by “addressing the concrete cases and reducing them to the removal of people; this – and I say this clearly – must be done, but it’s not enough, we must go further.”

According to Francis, it would be “a serious omission” not to look into the roots and structures that allowed for the abuse – not only sexual, but also of power and conscience – to happen and to continue over time.

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