Bishop Finn Indicted
Frank Cocozzelli printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Sat Oct 15, 2011 at 08:47:45 AM EST
Robert Finn, the controversial Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri, has been indicted by a Jackson County Grand Jury on misdemeanor charges of failing to report child abuse.

This is the first time a head of a diocese has ever been charged with a crime for failing to report pedophile behavior on the part of one of his subordinate priests.
As I reported here and here, Bishop Finn, previously best known for his Opus Dei vision of the Church and society, had constructive knowledge of improper touching of young girls and possession of child pornography by Father Shawn Ratigan (who has since been charged with the latter crime).  And as I wrote in my last piece:  It is not only time for Bishop Finn to go; it is time for him to go jail.

Missouri State Law makes it a misdemeanor crime not to report such behavior.

The Kansas City Star broke the news of the indictment:

A Jackson County grand jury has indicted Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph on misdemeanor charges of failure to report child abuse.

The charges, announced at a news conference today, make Finn - leader of the 134,000-member diocese - the highest-ranking Catholic official in the nation to face criminal prosecution in a child sexual abuse case.

The charges stemmed from the long-simmering controversy surrounding Father Shawn Ratigan, who is facing child pornography charges in Clay County and federal court.

"This is a significant charge," said Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker. "To my knowledge, a charge like this has not been leveled before.

Both Finn and the diocese entered pleas of not guilty.  If convicted, Finn faces up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine; the diocese only faces a fine of $5,000.

The indictment's graphic description of the photographs of children Ratigan had on his computer is disturbing.  But even more disturbing is the allegation that Bishop Finn sat on the evidence for over five months. If the charge is proven in court, then Finn should be given the maximum penalties.

An indictment of a prelate was bound to happen. The Church's reactions to calls by members to fix the problem of pedophile priests, have too often ranged from disinterest to cover-up. Now that Jackson County has broken the ice, indictments from other jurisdictions may follow.  A Grand Jury in Clay County, MO for one is considering similar charges.

Maybe the Church will hear us now.



To discuss this story, sign up for a free account

Display:
Bishop Finn Indicted | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 hidden)
Time To Go (5.00 / 1)
He must be removed in order for healing to truly begin, both in Kansas City-St Joe and in the Church.

I also would include a defrocking in that exit.

by Frank Cocozzelli on Sat Oct 15, 2011 at 09:03:13 AM EST


I agree, but there will be a fight (5.00 / 1)
You're right about what Finn should do, but I think he and his claque, to say nothing about his curial supporters, will fight tooth and nail to keep Finn in office and free of criminal charges. Screaming Bill will probably have a lot to say in Finn's favor.

by khughes1963 on Sat Oct 15, 2011 at 12:44:48 PM EST
You mean William "Apopletic" Donahue? (5.00 / 2)
I'm on the Catholic League's email list, and I've been waiting for the "Those Liberal secularists have gone too far, now!" blasts.

by trog69 on Sat Oct 15, 2011 at 07:48:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yep (5.00 / 1)
I haven't seen Bill's latest screed, but I am sure he will be giving free PR to Bishop Finn.

by khughes1963 on Mon Oct 17, 2011 at 08:53:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]



In disbelief! (5.00 / 1)
When I saw this story in the weekly Talk2Action update, I thought I must be dreaming. After all, NO bishops have paid any price for the sexual scandals for which they are most responsible with their endless cover-ups for the errant priests. I wonder if the Catholic Church will now act as decisively against Finn as it acts against members who advocate for the ordination of women (ooooh ... scary!). I'm betting on "no."

I too wonder like the previous two posters, if the right-wing defenders of the church's "purity" will whine and make excuses and complain that Finn is being persecuted by "liberals." But things like this are the reason my Episcopal Church is brimming with former Catholics. I just ran into an acquaintance the other night at OccupyCleveland who said she's thinking of coming to our church because she wants community for her kids and doesn't think the church she was brought up in (Catholic) can fill their needs.

by anastasia p on Sun Oct 16, 2011 at 06:36:40 PM EST


Feminine touch and a twist of history? (5.00 / 1)
Looking over and reading many articles about this typical failed American CEO management style practiced by Bishop Finn, I have to say that it is the role of females who have brought this crime (misdemeanor) to the attention of the world.

That it was a female IT tech cleaning Ratigan's laptop that started the ball rolling whereby at least a half dozen people on the Diocese payroll, consultants, clergy, lawyer (?) etc. did not follow through on her original nasty discovery. Those half dozen played musical chairs with the laptop and contents for far too long.

That it was a female prosecutor that finally came through, in a long overdue manner with a meager amount of humanity and or justice.

Speaking about Bill D at CL as mentioned in one of the comments, I see they deleted an October 9, 2011 article "LUDICROUS ATTACK ON BISHOP FINN (still cached and readable) attacking an excellent article by National Catholic Reporter Phyllis Zagano, a female, June 8, 2011," Who are these guys and where did they come from?".

(aside) Also, I see another National Catholic Reporter article dated October 16th  "Charge against Kansas City bishop the temper of the times" by John Allen Jr. has disappeared from the web and is not cached.

Back on subject - It is the force of female caring, feminine morality, that is the hope of this church run now by obsolete despotic male only management.  


by Mike McShea on Mon Oct 17, 2011 at 03:17:24 PM EST

Great observation! (5.00 / 1)
It was the women who had the courage to do the right thing. I am not a technician, but I have enough computer skills to know that the things you download and save on your hard drive will stay there even if you delete them, unless you use software to completely erase the drive or physically destroy it. One wonders whether Ratigan just was stupid enough to fail to realize the technician was readily able to see his stash on the hard drive. That is how the child porn addicts get caught, that and trading online.

by khughes1963 on Mon Oct 17, 2011 at 08:57:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Bishop Finn Indicted | 7 comments (7 topical, 0 hidden)

WWW Talk To Action


Santorum not Source of 'Phony Theology' Idea, Origins in 'Biblical Economics' Partnership
What did Rick Santorum mean when he described President Obama's environmental policy as being phony theology?  Santorum is not the original source of this......
By Rachel Tabachnick (4 comments)
Texas Toast: El Paso Church Loses Legal Case Over Political Intervention
An El Paso church's brazen effort to remove the mayor and two members of the city council has been brought to a screeching halt.......
By Rob Boston (2 comments)
The Bishops Can't Have It Both Ways
There is a profound and easily spotted hypocrisy when someone, or some institution declares in favor of freedom for me, but not for thee.......
By Frank Cocozzelli (7 comments)
The Religious Bigotry of Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum has sought to project a sunnily suburban, regular guy appeal as he vies for the GOP presidential nomination. But whenever I have......
By Frederick Clarkson (23 comments)
Exporting Right-Wing Christianity
A New Study by Jean Hardisty and Chip BerletProgress in human welfare and peaceful relations is never assured. It is always a struggle, and......
By Chip Berlet (13 comments)
Contraceptives and Convictions
"...I have often said that religion and politics are always connected, that there is no fixed template for their interaction, and that the dynamic......
By wilkyjr (7 comments)
Bibliography for PA Progressive Summit 2012 Presentation on 'Biblical Economics'
This past weekend the third annual PA Progressive Summit was held in Philadelphia. As a presenter at the summit I spoke about "Biblical economics"......
By Rachel Tabachnick (0 comments)
Revisiting the School Vouchers Debate
This weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at the PA Progressive Summit 2012 in Philadelphia.  I will soon post a summary of my......
By Rachel Tabachnick (4 comments)
The Season of Ideological Wardrobe Malfunctions
Yesterday, I reposted a piece about how somethings don't change. It was partly about the wrongheadedness of pundit E.J. Dionne who has been one......
By Frederick Clarkson (2 comments)
The Maine Issue With The Catholic Right's Culture Wars.
Portland Bishop Richard Malone, whose diocese encompasses the entire State of Maine, took on the legislature about two years ago.  He led a successful......
By Frank Cocozzelli (3 comments)
Some Things Don't Change
This is a reprise of a piece I originally posted on May 16, 2007,titled: When Common Ground Means Capitulation -- to Falwell. It was......
By Frederick Clarkson (11 comments)
Adopting Bias: New Va. Rules Seek To Safeguard 'Faith-Based' Bigotry
Legislators and media pundits in Washington, D.C., continue to obsess over the birth control mandate in the new health care law and whether church-related......
By Rob Boston (4 comments)
GOP Candidates Embrace a Major Religious Right Narrative
Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney's demagogic claims that President Obama is engaged in a "war against religion" are as unsurprising as they are disturbing.......
By Frederick Clarkson (8 comments)
NAR Apostle Harold Caballeros Heads Guatemala Foreign Ministry
In January 2012, with the inauguration of former military general Otto Pérez Molina as Guatemala's president, NAR apostle Harold Caballeros took charge of Guatemala's......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
As Eddie Long Controversy Grows, Video Emerges of 'Rabbi' Messer Wrapping Paula White in Torah
A Christian Post article dated February 5 is one of many reports of denials by televangelist Paula White and her attorney of any ties......
By Rachel Tabachnick (10 comments)

Fundies planning "America for Jesus" rally in Philly
Late Sunday, a group of fundie leaders announced plans to hold a prayer rally at Philadelphia's Independence Mall on September 28 and 29 under the moniker "America for Jesus 2012."  It looks innocuous......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
American jihadist
Don't let the dorky sweater vest fool you. Beneath that benign-looking garment beats the heart of an extremist, a radical more akin to the Islamic fundamentalists of the Taliban and the ultra-orthodox Jews of......
SubversiveSpeech (0 comments)
Dominionist linked group seeks return of government-mandated prayer
If you haven't noticed, the religious right has operated in a rather consistent cycle since the 1980s.  Get a little bit of power, overreach, get smacked down, climb back up in a few......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Cornwall Alliance spokesman: Environmentalism is a religion
The standard fundamentalist attack on the environmental movement is that it exalts the creation over the creator.  But now one of the leading fundie critics of environmentalism is taking a new, and if possible......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Harold Caballeros, October 5, 2006, #1
On October 5, 2006, Harold Cabballeros, founder and senior pastor of El Shaddai Church in Guatemala City, spoke at the "Spirit in the World: The Dynamics of Pentecostal Growth and Experience" symposium sponsored by......
Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Truth Wins Out Reports on Exodus International's Attempt at Rebranding
An extensive report has been posted at Truth Wins Out (TWO) on the rebranding of Exodus International, the discredited and financially strapped pray-away-the-gay organization. The report is titled "The Exodus SmokeScreen" and subtitled, "Exodus......
Rachel Tabachnick (0 comments)
Breast cancer awareness T-shirt prompts dispute at skating rink
crossposted from The Clarion Ledger) http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012202040 349 ""I am offended as a mother; as the daughter of a cancer patient; as a Christian woman; as a fundraiser and donor of time and money to......
COinMS (0 comments)
Delaware state house Dems distance themselves from Wagner tribute
The Democrats in the Delaware state House of Representatives are in full damage control mode over a tribute given back in January to C. Peter Wagner, a prominent leader of the New Apostolic......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Is Peter Wagner lying about commendation from state of Delaware?
Those of us who have watched the New Apostolic Reformation have come to expect bizarre claims.  Well, today  C. Peter Wagner made one of the most bizarre claims yet.  He sent out an......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
New dominionist effort to target Hollywood with prayer
In yet more proof that the New Apostolic Reformation is trying to make itself heard in a big way this year, late yesterday several leaders of that movement got together to announce a......
Christian Dem in NC (0 comments)
Santorum Accuses Colleges of Anti-Religious "Indoctrination" But Gingrich Said it First
CBS and other media outlets have pounced on a Rick Santorum claim, that America's colleges and universities are hotbeds of anti-religious "indoctrination", but Newt Gingrich has been saying that for years. As Santorum declared......
Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Leader of NC gay marriage ban effort, in his own words
cross-posted at dKos One of the leaders of the effort to write a gay marriage ban into North Carolina's constitution is Patrick Wooden, the pastor of Upper Room Church of God in Christ in......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
AFA endorses AIDS denialism
If Public Policy Polling's early numbers are accurate (and there's little reason to doubt they are) Newt Gingrich will likely take the lead in national polling this week.  In light of this, there's......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Family Research Council chaplain openly calls for non-Christians to be banned from public office
Anyone who's studied the religious right can't help but notice a pattern to how they've operated over the last three decades.  They get a little bit of power, only to overreach and get smacked......
Christian Dem in NC (5 comments)
Cindy Jacobs prophecies divine intervention unless we elect Repubs
Late last week, New Apostolic Reformation "prophetess" Cindy Jacobs announced the yearly "Word of the Lord" from the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders.  (h/t to PFAW's Right Wing Watch). This "Word" makes for......
Christian Dem in NC (3 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC. Powered by Scoop