Chilean bishops in Rome for expected brow-beating from pope

VATICAN CITY – Chilean bishops are arriving in Rome ahead of an expected brow-beating from Pope Francis, who says he was misled about a bishop at the center of a clergy sex abuse scandal.

One top-ranked churchman is apparently not coming: Cardinal Javier Errazuriz, the retired archbishop of Santiago and a member of Francis' kitchen cabinet.

Abuse survivors in Chile have laid much of the blame on Errazuriz, saying he discredited victims and fostered a culture where abuse was covered up instead of confronted.

Chile's La Tercera newspaper quoted Errazuriz saying he is skipping next week's meetings for personal reasons.

The Chilean bishops conference on Thursday praised Francis' recent encounters with victims of Chile's most notorious predator priest, saying the pope's example "showed us the path that the Chilean church is called to follow."