The Santiago archbishopric said in a statement that Ricardo Ezzati had been summoned to speak with prosecutors on August 21 as a defendant accused of concealment.
Ezzati denied wrongdoing and vowed to cooperate with authorities.
“I reiterate my commitment and the commitment of Santiago’s Church to the victims,” Ezzati said in the statement by his office. “I have the conviction that I never covered up or obstructed justice, and as a citizen will fulfill my duty to contribute all the information that may help clarify the facts.”
Last month police seized documents from the ecclesiastical court of the diocese of Santiago.
Juan Carlos Cruz, one of Karadima’s victims, said on Twitter that Ezzati has “little time left as archbishop of Santiago, but his new mission of answering for his cover-up, lies and other crimes ... has just begun.”
Accusations of sex abuse against various members of the Catholic Church led Pope Francis to open an investigation in the South American country that has led the Church to oust bishops and other priests accused of carrying out or covering up abuses against minors.