The New York Times yesterday reported that a Missouri grand jury has indicted both Catholic bishop Robert W. Finn and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph on misdemeanor charges growing out of their delay in reporting evidence of a suspected sex-offender priest to authorities. Bishop Finn knew last December that a priest, Father Shawn Ratigan, might subject children to sexual abuse, discovering hundreds of pornographic photos of girls on the priest's laptop. However the photos were not turned over to police until May. During that time, Ratigan continued to attend church events at which children were present, and took lewd photos of another young girl. This is the first time that a criminal indictment has been brought against a diocese and its leader in connection with actions of a priest in the diocese. If convicted, Finn faces a possible fine of $1000 and up to one year in jail, while the diocese faces a possible fine of up to $5000. In a statement on the diocese website, Bishop Finn denied criminal wrongdoing.
