Cardinal Fernando Natalio Chomalí Garib, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago de Chile, is a moral theologian and bioethicist who became a trusted adviser to Pope Francis during the 2018 clerical sex abuse scandals in Chile.

Born on March 10, 1957, in Santiago de Chile, Chomali comes from a family with Palestinian roots and is one of five children born to Juan Chomalí Celse and Vitalia Garib Aguad.

His academic journey is marked by a diverse educational background. Chomalí initially studied at the Colegio de Alianza Francesa and the National Institute of Santiago. In 1981, he earned a degree in civil engineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. His calling to religious life led him to study philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Major Seminary of Santiago from 1984.

After his ordination to the priesthood on April 6, 1991, Chomalí pursued further studies in Rome. He obtained a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in 1993, followed by a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1994. In 1998, he completed a master’s degree in bioethics from the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences.

Chomalí has worked as a parish vicar, episcopal delegate for university pastoral care, professor of moral theology and bioethics in the Faculties of Theology and Medicine of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and in the Major Seminary of Santiago; as parish priest of Santa María de la Misericordia, moderator of the Curia and president delegate of the Economic Council of the archdiocese.

Chomalí’s rise through the ranks of the Catholic Church has been steady and notable. In April 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as titular bishop of Noba and auxiliary bishop of Santiago de Chile, and he received his episcopal consecration three month’s later.

In April 2011, Pope Benedict XVI promoted him to Archbishop of Concepción. He served in this role for over a decade, until in October 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Santiago de Chile. He was officially installed in this position two months later.

Throughout his career, Chomalí has held several important positions within the Church. He has been a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life since 2001 and served on its steering committee from 2010 to 2012. His membership was renewed in 2017, highlighting his ongoing contributions to the field of bioethics.

From March 2014 to March 2015, he served as the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of Osorno, demonstrating his leadership capabilities in times of transition.

While there, in the final days of his assignment, Chomalí met with Pope Francis to discuss Francis’ appointment of Juan Barros as Osorno’s new bishop. This appointment had caused significant controversy due to Barros’ alleged involvement in covering up sexual abuse cases. Chomalí, who had a long-standing friendship with Juan Carlos Cruz, a victim of sexual abuse, attempted to convey the negative impact of this appointment to the Pope.

In response to the broader sexual abuse crisis within the Church, Chomalí issued a pastoral letter in September 2018 calling for full cooperation with civil authorities and acknowledged the Church’s loss of credibility. He proposed several reforms, including separating offices handling abuse complaints from other diocesan offices and implementing new transparency rules for seminaries and Church judicial proceedings.¹”We must obey the law because we are not above the norms that govern the country,” he wrote in his pastoral letter. He regretted that Church had lost its reputation as “a voice for the voiceless” and had become “for a growing percentage of the population … a cause of scandal, of profound questioning, of much distrust and little credibility.” He decried the impact of clericalism and proposed separating the offices that handle complaints of abuse from other diocesan offices and new rules to create transparency for seminaries and Church judicial proceedings.

In 2021, Chomalí was elected vice president of the Episcopal Conference of Chile, further cementing his influential role within the Church in Chile.

Cardinal Chomali re-authorized the celebration of the Vetus Ordo (Old Latin Mass) after four years of its being restricted under his predecessor. On December 8, 2024, the liturgical feast of the Immaculate Conception, the celebration of the Holy Mass according to the 1962 Mass resumed in the archdiocese and will be celebrated every Sunday and on feast days.

Cardinal Chomalí speaks Spanish and Italian.