In 1991, he was appointed to the Roman Curia as an official of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

On 28 June 1996, Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Valdivia, Chile, and he was consecrated on 8 September.

On 10 July 2001, John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of the much larger Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, assigning him the titular see of La Imperial.
On 27 December 2006, he was named Archbishop of Concepción.

In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named him and four other prelates to serve as Apostolic Visitors to the Legionaries of Christ following the discovery that the order's founder, Marciel Maciel Degollado, an associate of John Paul II, had engaged in sexual abuse of minors and young men.
Ezzati was given responsibility for investigating the order in South America: Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela, where the Legion had 20 houses, 122 priests and 122 religious seminarians.

While archbishop of Concepción, Ezzati mediated a dispute between the government and a group of 34 Mapuche prisoners who had been on a hunger strike for 82 days.

On 15 December 2010, Pope Benedict appointed Ezzati as Archbishop of Santiago de Chile to replace Cardinal Francisco Errázuriz, who had submitted his resignation as required upon reaching the age of 75.
Ezzati was installed in Santiago de Chile on 14 January 2011.

Pope Francis named Ezzati a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education in November 2013.

He was elevated to the rank of cardinal at a consistory on 22 February 2014.
In May 2014, Pope Francis named him a member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.

In October 2014, Ezzati denied press reports that he had denounced the Jesuit priest Felipe Berríos to the Vatican and said he had only replied to inquiries about the priest's controversial statements from the papal nuncio.
Press reports later demonstrated that Ezzati had initiated the accusation process to prevent Berríos from becoming chaplain at the presidential palace.

He participated in the Synod of Bishops on the Family in October 2014 and October 2015.
He was one of the four prelates who presented the 2014 synod's summary document (the relatio).
 He served as president of the Episcopal Conference of Chile from 2010 to 2016.
In 1991, he was appointed to the Roman Curia as an official of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
On 28 June 1996, Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop of Valdivia, Chile, and he was consecrated on 8 September.
On 10 July 2001, John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of the much larger Archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, assigning him the titular see of La Imperial. On 27 December 2006, he was named Archbishop of Concepción.
In June 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named him and four other prelates to serve as Apostolic Visitors to the Legionaries of Christ following the discovery that the order's founder, Marciel Maciel Degollado, an associate of John Paul II, had engaged in sexual abuse of minors and young men. Ezzati was given responsibility for investigating the order in South America: Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela, where the Legion had 20 houses, 122 priests and 122 religious seminarians.
While archbishop of Concepción, Ezzati mediated a dispute between the government and a group of 34 Mapuche prisoners who had been on a hunger strike for 82 days.
On 15 December 2010, Pope Benedict appointed Ezzati as Archbishop of Santiago de Chile to replace Cardinal Francisco Errázuriz, who had submitted his resignation as required upon reaching the age of 75. Ezzati was installed in Santiago de Chile on 14 January 2011.
Pope Francis named Ezzati a member of the Congregation for Catholic Education in November 2013.
He was elevated to the rank of cardinal at a consistory on 22 February 2014. In May 2014, Pope Francis named him a member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America.
In October 2014, Ezzati denied press reports that he had denounced the Jesuit priest Felipe Berríos to the Vatican and said he had only replied to inquiries about the priest's controversial statements from the papal nuncio. Press reports later demonstrated that Ezzati had initiated the accusation process to prevent Berríos from becoming chaplain at the presidential palace.
He participated in the Synod of Bishops on the Family in October 2014 and October 2015. He was one of the four prelates who presented the 2014 synod's summary document (the relatio).  He served as president of the Episcopal Conference of Chile from 2010 to 2016.
Ricardo Ezzati Andrello