Under strong security measures, Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati Andrello led the traditional ecumenical "Te Deum" service Thursday to celebrate Chile's national holidays and urged people to change their ways to dispel fear.
Before a metropolitan cathedral packed with government officials -- among them President Michelle Bachelet, congressmen and military -- and leaders of other religious faiths, the cardinal referred to the bombing at the Escuela Militar subway station that injured 14 people Sept. 8.
After almost a year of investigation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith concluded that Bishop Cristian Contreras Molina of San Felipe was innocent of the child abuse accusations made against him.
Through a statement, the diocese of San Felipe said that "the Vatican has concluded that those accusations were not true and has established the absence of incriminatory evidence."
The district attorney's office also closed its investigation regarding the case, the statement said, adding that the bishop had cooperated with both investigations.
