Vatican sex abuse investigator hospitalised in Chile

SANTIAGO (AP):

The special envoy sent by Pope Francis to investigate allegations that a bishop had covered up sex abuse was undergoing gall bladder surgery yesterday in Chile, church officials said.

The curia for Charles Scicluna's archdiocese in Malta announced the surgery in a brief statement.

The spokesman for the Chilean Catholic bishop's conference, Jaime Coiro, said Scicluna was stable and conscious and said he wasn't expected to remain hospitalised more than two days.

The bishop's conference said Scicluna had been suffering pain since last week.

The Maltese archbishop entered the hospital Tuesday after starting his interviews with victims and others opposed to the appointment of a bishop accused of covering up for the country's most notorious paedophile priest.

Coiro said the pope has asked that interviews with witnesses continue yesterday through Friday as planned. They are to be handled by Jordi Bertomeu, a Spanish priest who has been serving as Scicluna's translator and notary.

Scicluna came to Chile to investigate complaints about Bishop Juan Barros, who has been strongly defended until now by the pope.