BishopAccountability.org
	Kc Bishop Agrees to Oversight Deal in Clay County KMBC November 15, 2011 www.kmbc.com/r/29775748/detail.html [with video] KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The way the Kansas City-St. Joseph Catholic Diocese handled the case involving a priest accused of possessing child pornography has led to a new oversight deal with the Clay County prosecutor. Prosecutor Dan White said he has been given oversight in the diocese's handling of any case or complaint in which children might be victims for the next five years. The deal, he said, was a diversion agreement and is "unprecedented." This only applies to the investigation in Clay County. White said in a news release that Bishop Robert Finn acknowledged that he could face misdemeanor charges regarding his handling of the Shawn Ratigan case. As part of the deal, Finn agreed to report every month to White to let him know of any reported suspicious activity involving minors or any allegations of child abuse in any of the diocese's Clay County facilities. "This will be a learning experience for the bishop," White said in a news release. "The diocese and bishop acknowledge past reporting systems had flaws; injecting an outside into the mix -- an outside who can trigger a criminal investigation and file charges -- gives parents and children in our community confidence that if anything were to happen, it will be promptly and effectively addressed." He said that if Finn complies with the agreement over the five year period, there will no misdemeanor charge filed against him in Clay County. "He has to do everything that is in this agreement for five years, or else we go right back to Jump Street," White said. "I don't just have a half a loaf here. I have a whole loaf still. I've given up nothing." Finn issued a statement Tuesday that said the agreement provides a structure for investigators and the church to maintain an open dialogue about all issues involving abuse of minors. He said the agreement calls for the diocesan Ombudsman and a newly designated Director of Child and Youth Protection to meet parishioners of Clay County parishes to discuss the arrangement. "I am grateful for the opportunity to resolve this matter and to further strengthen our diocesan commitment to the protection of children," Finn said. Peter Isely, a board member of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said he was disappointed by the agreement because other people who were in a position to suspect Ratigan neither reported anything or are being held responsible. "So the problem in Kansas City is a pervasive and on-going cultural and structural problem of secrecy and self-preservation being valued over openness and kids' safety. It's not one 'bad apple.' It's a dangerous, corrupt barrel. That was the case and remains the case," he said in a statement. He also described the deal as a way for Finn to avoid tough questions in open court. "Catholics, citizens and children need and deserve the truth. The truth surfaces in court. That's what bishops work overtime to avoid. And that's what Finn has achieved here - he's taken the cheap, easy, convenient way out, avoiding real scrutiny and concealing damaging misdeeds," Isely said. Barbara Dorris, a member of SNAP, spoke in Kansas City on Tuesday and said the group wanted Finn indicted, convicted and jailed. "Diversion has not worked in the past. Bishops and priests just go back and keep placing children at risk," she said. Ratigan is facing three state child pornography charges and 13 federal charges alleging he possessed, produced and attempted to produce child porn. The 45-year-old has pleaded not guilty on all charges.
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