BishopAccountability.org
	The Star’s Editorial | Finn Admits He Can’t Do the Job, So Why Does He Keep It? Kansas City Star November 17, 2011 http://www.kansascity.com/2011/11/16/3270208/the-stars-editorial-finn-admits.html Bishop Robert Finn dodged additional criminal charges this week by agreeing to intensive oversight from the Clay County prosecutor’s office. While such a deal may protect Finn from the embarrassment of misdemeanor charges in Clay County, he still faces a similar charge in Jackson County. Beyond that, it is a sorry state of affairs that the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph now admits it needs remedial training to properly do something as basic as protect children from adult sexual predators. And it represents an abysmal failure by Finn and others that they make this admission only now. The diversion deal doesn’t shield Finn from criminal charges. He agreed to waive a one-year statute of limitations, meaning Clay County can file at any time in the coming five years if he fails to live up to the agreement. But while the deal may make sense legally, it raises a very serious question: Is Finn really the best man to oversee Kansas City’s Catholic population? Even as Finn agreed to court oversight, allegations of sexual misconduct within the diocese continued to surface, piling doubts upon existing doubts about his fitness for his office. By agreeing to the oversight, he is in effect agreeing that his office has handled sexual abuse allegations poorly and doesn’t know the way forward without help. Obviously, he is right to ask for this help. But his role in a rising crisis does not seem a good fit for learning in the future. The most troubling aspects of child sexual abuse cases coming from the diocese are the alleged acts themselves. But the church’s failure to create an adequate system to ensure all abuse allegations were dealt with promptly, decisively and in the best interest of children is a very serious matter. Bishop Finn’s diversion is effectively an admission that he was not and is not able to lead this diocese through troubled times. It is time for the church to make that decision official.
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