At a court hearing to answer to allegations of covering up sexual abuse by members of the clergy, Chilean Cardinal Riccardo Ezzati has invoked his right against self-incrimination.
In a statement released by the Archdiocese of Santiago, Cardinal 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 in July after conducting several raids of diocesan offices in Rancagua and Santiago.
