BishopAccountability.org
	A Catholic Bishop Is Indicted in Child Pornography and Again I Ask: Why Does Congress Kowtow to the Usccb? By Jodi Jacobson Rh Reality Check October 17, 2011 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AbuseTracker/A%20Catholic%20Bishop%20Is%20Indicted%20in%20Child%20Pornography%20and%20Again%20I%20Ask:%20Why%20Does%20Congress%20Kowtow%20to%20the%20USCCB? Almost exactly two years ago, during the heat of the health reform debate, I wrote an article asking why the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has so much power in the hall of Congress, especially when it comes to pushing for policies that deny women their rights. Today, I ask again: Why? On Friday, October 14th, 2011, the day after the USCCB succeeded in achieving its long-held goal of getting the House of Representatives to pass the Let Women Die Act of 2011, one of their own, Bishop Robert W. Finn, was indicted for failure to report suspected child abuse. This is, according to the New York Times, "the first time in the 25-year history of the church's sex abuse scandals that the leader of an American diocese has been held criminally liable for the behavior of a priest he supervised." The indictment of the bishop, Robert W. Finn, and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph by a county grand jury was announced on Friday. Each was charged with one misdemeanor count involving a priest accused of taking pornographic photographs of girls as recently as this year. They pleaded not guilty. According to the Times, the bishops pledged a decade ago to report suspected abusers to law enforcement authorities. And "Bishop Finn himself had made such a promise three years ago as part of a $10 million legal settlement with abuse victims in Kansas City." Instead he continued to cover up this abuse.
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