VATICAN CITY
Catholic News Service
October 4, 2018
By Junno Arocho Esteves
At a court hearing to answer to allegations of covering up sexual abuse by members of the clergy, Chilean Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati invoked his right against self-incrimination.
In a statement released by the Archdiocese of Santiago Oct. 3, Ezzati said that at the suggestion of his lawyers, “I will use, for the time being, my right to remain silent” until authorities “issue a ruling on the request for a definitive dismissal” of the charges against him.
The Chilean prosecutor’s office in Rancagua, led by Emiliano Arias, issued a subpoena July 24 after conducting several raids of diocesan offices in Rancagua and Santiago.
Arias confirmed his office was investigating an alleged sex-abuse ring in Rancagua as well as possible cover-ups of abuse cases by senior members of the clergy, including Ezzati and his predecessor, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz.
The subpoena is believed to be related to the case of Fr. Oscar Munoz Toledo, the former chancellor of the Archdiocese of Santiago, who was arrested July 12 following allegations that he abused seven minors in Santiago and Rancagua since 2002.
Although Cardinal Ezzati had said that he would cooperate with authorities in their investigation, his decision to remain silent caused outrage among survivors of clergy sexual abuse in the country.
Juan Carlos Cruz, who along with James Hamilton and Jose Andres Murillo met with Pope Francis in May to discuss their suffering, said the cardinal’s use of his right against self-incrimination “was a lack of respect” for survivors.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.