KANSAS CITY (MO)
Star Tribune
Associated Press SEPTEMBER 15, 2015
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pope Francis has appointed a bishop to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri, permanently replacing a cleric who was convicted of failing to report a suspected child abuser.
The diocese announced on its website Tuesday that Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. will take over from Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who has been overseeing the diocese since Bishop Robert Finn resigned in April.
In 2012, Finn was found guilty of one misdemeanor count of failure to report suspected abuse and was sentenced to two years of probation, making him the highest-ranking church official in the U.S. to be convicted of not taking action in response to abuse allegations.
After the convictions, Finn faced pressure to resign, including local and national petition drives asking the pope to remove him. He ultimately left under canon law that allows bishops to resign early for illness or some “grave” reason that makes them unfit for office. He didn’t provide a specific reason for his resignation.
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