By Michael Winter
Usa Today
October 14, 2011
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2011/10/kc-bishop-diocese-indicted-in-child-sex-abuse-probe/1
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| Bishop Robert Finn, who heads the Diocese of Kansas City-St, Joseph, Mo., in a 2004 photo. |
A Missouri grand jury has accused Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph of failing to notify police about alleged child pornography found on a priest's computer, the Kansas City Star reports.
Finn and the diocese entered pleas of not guilty today to a misdemeanor charge of failure to report suspected child abuse. The indictment makes Finn the highest-ranking Catholic official nationwide to be prosecuted for allegedly covering up sexual abuse of minors by priest, the paper notes.
"Bishop Finn denies any criminal wrongdoing and has cooperated at all stages with law enforcement, the grand jury, the prosecutor's office, and the Graves Commission," Finn's lawyer, Gerald Handley, said in a statement from the diocese. "We will continue our efforts to resolve this matter."
Read the full statement.
The indictments stem from a Jackson County grand jury convened after the U.S. Justice Department filed child pornography charges against the Rev. Shawn Ratigan earlier this year. Finn testified before the panel last month.
The Star summarizes the case:
In May 2010, the principal of a Catholic school complained to the diocese about what she described as Ratigan's inappropriate actions around children. Other than counseling Ratigan to moderate his conduct, however, his church supervisors took little substantial action.
In December, diocesan officials found what prosecutors later alleged was child pornography on Ratigan's computer. The diocese said it contacted a police officer and described "one of the more disturbing images" from Ratigan's computer, asking whether it constituted child porn, and the officer said it did not. Police later confirmed that the officer was Capt. Richard Smith, but said that he was told only about one photo and was not made aware that other, more graphic images were stored on Ratigan's computer.
Under Missouri law, clergy must report any suspected child abuse.
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