SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chile’s national prosecuting authority said on Wednesday that it had asked the government to submit a formal request to the Vatican for information about nine clergymen and lay workers who have been accused of sexual abuse of children.

St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican is seen at the sunset from Garibaldi bridge in Rome, Italy, June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

The prosecuting authority said in a statement that national prosecutor Jorge Abbott had asked the foreign minister to enact three International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters requests in relation to cases from the capital Santiago, the city of Valparaiso and the southern region of Araucania.

It said it could submit additional requests in the future.