In this photo taken Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, Pope Francis meets journalists aboard the plane during the flight from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to Rome, Italy. The pope has ordered the expulsion from the priesthood of a man accused of sexually abusing minors. AP FILE
SANTIAGO, Chile 鈥� Chilean church authorities say Pope Francis has ordered a man accused of sexually abusing minors removed from the priesthood.
The Santiago archbishop鈥檚 office said Saturday the decision cannot be appealed.
Cristian Precht already had earlier been suspended from priestly duties for five years after an investigation into similar allegations. He is now in his late 70s.
Precht headed the Chilean church鈥檚 office in defense of human rights in the 1970s during part of the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.
Chilean authorities last month raided the headquarters of the country鈥檚 bishop鈥檚 conference as part of a widespread investigation into sex abuse committed by members of the Marist Brothers order.
The pope earlier ordered an investigation and denounced a 鈥渃ulture of abuse and cover-up鈥� in Chile鈥檚 Catholic Church. /cbb