Press TV
October 15, 2011
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/204700.html
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| Bishop Robert Finn |
A Catholic Bishop in the United States has been charged for failing to inform the police about a suspected child abuse case in his diocese.
Prosecutors accused Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph of sheltering for five months an abusive clergyman called Reverend Shawn Ratigan who allegedly kept hundreds of pornographic images of minors on his laptop, AFP reported on Saturday.
Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said Finn had reasonable cause to suspect a child had been abused after discovering the images.
Bishop Finn was made aware of the photos in December 2010, when a computer technician found files on the priest's laptop, containing images of children as old as two, mostly girls.
However, Bishop Finn decided to cover up the issue and with the cooperation of other senior colleagues tried to destroy evidence related to the case.
In May 2011, an official from the diocese alerted the police to Ratigan who was then arrested and the laptop images were uncovered. Ratigan had, earlier this year, been accused of producing and possessing child pornography.
Bishop Finn has apologized for his handling of the issue but denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty. He faces charges of helping the distribution of child pornography.
It is the first time that a Catholic bishop is criminally charged in the United States.
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