Robert Finn, Missouri Bishop Convicted of Shielding Pedophile Priest, Resigns, The New York Times (April 21, 2015)

Robert Finn, Missouri Bishop Convicted of Shielding Pedophile Priest, Resigns

The Vatican on Tuesday accepted the resignation of a Missouri bishop who failed to report suspected child abuse and who became the highest-ranking American church official found guilty of a crime related to the church’s child sexual abuse scandal.

The Vatican said that Bishop Robert W. Finn, who leads the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in northern and western Missouri, had offered his resignation under a provision in canon law that allowed bishops to resign early for an illness or if they are unfit to carry out their duties.

Bishop Finn was found guilty in September 2012 of waiting six months before notifying the police about a diocesan priest, the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, who had taken hundreds of pornographic pictures of young girls in and around churches where he worked. Father Ratigan was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.

The bishop’s conviction was considered a watershed moment in the sexual abuse scandal that has tarnished the church since the 1980s. Bishops have been eager to turn the page on this era and have put in place extensive abuse prevention policies, which include reporting those suspected of abuse to law enforcement authorities.

Still, the Vatican’s failure to sanction or remove Bishop Finn had come under criticism from parishioners and victims’ advocates.

In February 2014, Catholics in Kansas City, Mo., and a priest with expertise in canon law petitioned Pope Francis to take disciplinary action against Bishop Finn. The parishioners asked Francis why he suspended a German bishop who spent tens of millions building his opulent quarters, but left in office a bishop who failed to protect children. They argued that Bishop Finn had also broken church law and should be subject to a penal proceeding.

In September, the Vatican announced an investigation of Bishop Finn’s action that was being led by a Canadian archbishop, Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa, at the request of Pope Francis. Until Tuesday, there had been no word about what the pope would do.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., has been appointed as apostolic administrator of the Missouri diocese until a successor for Bishop Finn is appointed. Archbishop Naumann will retain his duties in the Kansas diocese.