Cardinal Javier Errazuriz, a top papal adviser, wrote an extraordinary letter to the bishops of Latin America insisting the Pope’s trip was not a failure, but was “highly positive”.
The National Catholic Reporter first reported the letter and its contents Friday.
Cardinal Errazuriz did not take responsibility for a sex abuse scandal that shadowed Francis’ visit or how the handling of allegations involving the Reverend Fernando Karadima affected the views of Chilean Catholics toward the church and the papacy.
The cardinal took no responsibility for the lingering effects of a sex abuse scandal on Chilean Catholics and their views about the church and the papacy.
The former archbishop initially shelved the investigation of Karadima’s abuse of young parishioners and has admitted he did not believe the victims.
A Vatican tribunal convicted Karadima in 2011 and sentenced him to a life of penance and prayer for his sex crimes.
Independent polling firm Latinobarometro has pointed to the Karadima scandal as the leading cause of the church’s loss of credibility in Chile.
The country ranks lowest among the 19 in South and Central America in esteem for the pope.
Francis’ trip was dominated by the Karadima affair and his support for a Karadima protege, Bishop Juan Barros.
Some of Karadima’s victims have accused Bishop Barros of having witnessed their abuse and ignored it.
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