BishopAccountability.org
	Diocese and Bishop Offer “listening Session” in Response to Child Porn Lawsuit By Patrick Noaker Child Protection News Blog June 3, 2011 http://childprotectionnews.com/ “Listening sessions.” That is what Bishop Robert Finn and the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph offered in response to a lawsuit revealing violation of federal child pornography laws for receiving and distributing child pornography that was created by one of the Diocese priests. As ChildProtectionNews.com reported on May 20, 2011, the Diocese found child pornography on the computer of Fr. Shawn Ratigan in December 2010. The images were nude photographs of young girls, under 12 years old, and photographs that were covertly taken up the skirts of young girls showing their vaginal area and their underpants. Instead of handing the computer and the images over to law enforcement, the Diocese made copies of the pornographic images and consulted with their attorneys. It was not until last week that the Diocese turned the child pornography over to law enforcement. This is the same Bishop and the same Diocese that in 2008 after “listening sessions” with 47 courageous sexual abuse survivors, made an agreement to immediately report any suspicion of sexual abuse or misconduct by its clergy to law enforcement. Instead of complying with federal law and very clear agreements made with abuse survivors, according to the Kansas City Star, the Diocese and Bishop Finn have “ reached out” to parishes and offered more “listening sessions.” What? Are this Diocese and Bishop really that far off of the mark that they would possess child pornography in violation of federal law and protect a priest who created that child pornography and think that all they must do is offer “listening sessions?” Maybe the leadership of the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph will be able to squeeze in a “listening session” during visiting days while they are serving a well-deserved sentence in federal prison for possession and distribution of child pornography.
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