Vatican investigator meets with Chilean sex abuse victims

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SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - The Vatican's sex abuse investigator has begun a series of meetings in Chile with abuse victims and others who have opposed the appointment of a bishop accused of covering up for the country's most notorious pedophile priest.

Pope Francis has strongly backed Bishop Juan Barros, who is accused by victims of witnessing and ignoring the abuse of young parishioners by the Rev. Fernando Karadima, who was removed from ministry and sentenced to a lifetime of "penance and prayer" in 2010.

The Chilean conference of bishops said that Maltese Archbishop Charles Scicluna began his four days of meetings Tuesday. He will also talk to a delegation of lay Catholics and priests from the Chilean diocese of Osorno.

Scicluna told reporters that he will exclusively be gathering information on Barros.