Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Vatican power who dismissed sexual abuse, dies

Sodano, who was ill for some time, died Friday night (28 May). He was secretary of state under John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and held the number 2 position in the Vatican hierarchy for 16 years between 1990 and 2006.

As John Paul's health declined from Parkinson's disease and other ailments, it was believed that Sodano and Stanislaw Dziwisz, John Paul's secretary, managed the Church's final years. John Paul died in 2005.

Pope Benedict began to investigate Maciel after John Paul's passing and expelled him in 2006. The Vatican later admitted that the allegations had been ignored for many decades.

Later, the Legion of Christ, a cult-like order, which prohibited criticizing its founder and questioning his motives, acknowledged that Maciel, who was killed in 2008, had lived a double life: as a paedophile/womanizer, and drug addict.

Multiple times, Sodano denied that he knew about Maciel’s double life and that Sodano had done anything to cover it up. Maciel was a conservative who was seen as a stronghold against liberalism in Church. He was also known to have given generous financial gifts to Vatican.

Four years after Pope Benedict had replaced Sodano in the role of secretary of state, the Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn from Vienna charged Sodano with having blocked an investigation into former Austrian Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer.

After allegations that Groer had sexually abused seminarians, Groer was forced to resign as archbishop in Vienna in 1995. Groer died in 2003 without ever admitting guilt nor facing charges.

These accusations were also refuted by Sodano.

2010 victims of clergy sexual abuse condemned Sodano's statement at an Easter address that abuse was mostly "petty talk".

Sodano was ordained a priest in 1950 and joined the diplomatic service a few years later. After serving in the Vatican embassies of Ecuador, Uruguay and Chile, Sodano was called back to the Vatican to fill senior administrative positions, including the number 2 spot.

Juan Carlos Cruz was a victim to clergy sexual abuse in Chile. He is now a member on a Vatican commission on prevention of sexual abuse.

Between 1977-1988, Sodano was the Vatican ambassador to Chile.

According to Vatican insiders, Sodano remained in Rome and exercised considerable influence over the careers of Vatican officials during Benedict's pontificate. Benedict resigned in 2013.

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