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Pope accepts resignation of KC Bishop
By Kris Ketz
[with video] The Vatican has just announced that Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph Robert Finn. The diocese said Finn offered his resignation under a code of Canon Law allowing bishops to resign early. Finn was the highest-ranking U.S. church leader to be convicted for failing to take action in response to sex abuse allegations. He was charged in the case of the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, whose computer contained hundreds of lewd photos of young girls taken in and around churches where he worked. Diocesan officials waited six months before they notified civil authorities of the photos. Ratigan pleaded guilty to child pornography charges and was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison. "It has been an honor and joy for me to serve here among so many good people of faith," Bishop Robert W. Finn said in a news release. The diocese said Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann has been appointed Apostolic Administrator until a new bishop is appointed. "It is my desire to do all that I can to prepare this diocese to welcome well its new bishop. I pray that your new bishop, when he arrives, will find a community united both in their love for Jesus and his bride -- the church -- as well as eager to proclaim the truth and beauty of his gospel to the world," Naumann said in a statement.
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