Bishop Guilty of Shielding Paedophile

The Age
September 8, 2012

http://www.theage.com.au/world/bishop-guilty-of-shielding-paedophile-20120907-25jul.html

An American Roman Catholic bishop was found guilty on one count of failing to report suspected child abuse, becoming the first US bishop in the decades-long sexual abuse scandals to be convicted of shielding a paedophile priest.

In a hastily announced bench trial in Kansas City that lasted a little over an hour, a judge found the bishop, Robert Finn, guilty on one misdemeanour charge and not guilty on a second charge, for failing to report a priest who had taken hundreds of pornographic pictures of young girls. The counts each carried a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $US1000 fine, but Finn was sentenced to two years' court-supervised probation.

The verdict is a watershed moment in the priest sexual abuse scandal that has plagued the church since the 1980s. Bishops, eager to turn the page on this era, put in place extensive abuse prevention policies, including reporting suspected abusers to law enforcement authorities. But this case has served as a wake-up call that the policies cannot be effective if bishops do not follow them.

It was an abrupt ending to a case that threatened to turn into a sensational precedent-setting trial of a sitting prelate. It had been scheduled for a jury trial later this month, but on Wednesday the prosecution said it would be decided in one afternoon by Judge John Torrence.

Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said the expedited trial spared victims and parents from having to testify.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests applauded the unprecedented conviction of a bishop but said that the sentence was too lenient. "Only jail time would have made a real difference here," it said.

It is unclear whether Finn will come under pressure to resign.