Friday, October 14, 2011

Roman Catholic Bishop of Kansas City Indicted For Failing To Report Child Porn

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — An indictment charging Kansas City’s Catholic bishop with not telling tell police about child pornography on a priest’s computer makes him the highest-ranking U.S. Catholic official indicted on a charge of failing to protect children.

Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn on Friday became the first U.S. bishop criminally charged on allegations of sheltering an abusive clergyman. He acknowledged earlier this year that he and other diocese officials knew for five months about hundreds of “disturbing” photos of children found on a priest’s computer but didn’t take the matter to police.
Read the rest here.

Setting aside for the moment my belief that Bishop Finn has been a boon to his Midwestern diocese in many ways, I have long argued  that the problem in the RCC was not the relatively small number of pedophile priests, but rather the bishops who criminally covered up for them and have never been held accountable.  This suggests that attitudes are starting to change on that subject.

3 comments:

Matthew M said...

I have heard that he has aroused the anger of the old 'hippie Catholics' by his conservative approach so it wouldn't surprise me if they are behind scenes pushing this to get him removed.
I don't know enough about this case to say anything but I would believe this bishop over his accusers. He will be justified in the end.

Visibilium said...

It must be surprising to discover that secular authorities impose penalties for disobedience.

Igumen Gregory said...

The best thing that we can do is to pray for the Bishop, who I suspect is more of a victim of a witch/warlock hunt.