(CNN) Pope Francis has defrocked a Chilean priest formerly convicted of sexual abuse, the Vatican said in a statement Friday.

"Pope Francis has dismissed from the clerical state Fernando Karadima Farina, from the archdiocese of Santiago del Chile. The Holy Father has taken this exceptional decision in conscious and for the good of the Church," the statement said.

Fernando Karadima

The Vatican found Karadima guilty in 2011 of several counts of sexual abuse and sentenced him to a life of penance and prayer.

The Pope's move, dismissal from the clerical state, is the strongest sanction he can give.

"We were facing a very serious rot case, and it had to be rooted out," said Greg Burke, director of the Holy See press office, in an audio statement in Spanish. "This is an exceptional measure, no doubt, but the serious crimes of Karadima created an exceptional damage in Chile."

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