Religion

Eugene

(61,896 posts) Tue Apr 21, 2015, 11:13 AM Apr 2015

U.S. Catholic bishop in child pornography case resigns

Source: Reuters

US | Tue Apr 21, 2015 9:56am EDT

U.S. Catholic bishop in child pornography case resigns

VATICAN CITY | BY PHILIP PULLELLA

(Reuters) - Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City, who remained in office for three years after he was convicted in 2012 of shielding a priest who took pornographic pictures of girls, has resigned, the Vatican said on Tuesday.

Finn, 62, is the only U.S. Roman Catholic bishop to be convicted for not reporting suspicions of pedophilia. Groups representing victims of abuse by clerics had been urging the pope to dismiss Finn.

"Pope Francis's removal of (Finn) is a good step but just a beginning," said Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a resource center for sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church.

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A judge in Kansas City convicted Finn in 2012 of failing to report suspected child abuse after a technician found pictures of young girls' genitals on a computer owned by Shawn Ratigan, a former priest of his diocese. Ratigan took many of the lewd pictures himself and had collected others, the court was told.

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5 replies

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U.S. Catholic bishop in child pornography case resigns (Original Post) Eugene Apr 2015 OP

Funny how these 'good first steps' always take years, and years and years to come about. AtheistCrusader Apr 2015 #1

What I'd like to know is, what happens to him now? trotsky Apr 2015 #2

Francis didn't even have the moral conviction to fire him. Look at the flak that article throws up. AtheistCrusader Apr 2015 #3

Tsk, tsk. You know we can't blame the wonderpope. trotsky Apr 2015 #4

Should have resigned years ago. This would be a good opportunity for the vatican to say cbayer Apr 2015 #5

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

1. Funny how these 'good first steps' always take years, and years and years to come about.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Apr 21, 2015, 11:14 AM

Apr 2015

One would think that an organization that purports to hold out divinely revealed moral truth for all mankind, would act a little more decisively on such clear cases.

trotsky

(49,533 posts)

2. What I'd like to know is, what happens to him now?

Reply to AtheistCrusader (Reply #1)

Tue Apr 21, 2015, 12:01 PM

Apr 2015

He resigned. If he goes on to serve in some cushy position at the Vatican like so many other criminals have done, then I hardly think justice was done.

AtheistCrusader

(33,982 posts)

3. Francis didn't even have the moral conviction to fire him. Look at the flak that article throws up.

Reply to trotsky (Reply #2)

Tue Apr 21, 2015, 12:09 PM

Apr 2015

""Pope Francis's removal of (Finn) is a good step but just a beginning,""

Finn resigned. Francis didn't remove him. At best he asked for his resignation. What kind of chump asks for the resignation of a scumbag like that? This pope would punch his friend if he said something about his mom, but he can't be moved to FIRE SOMEONE for shielding child predators?

For serious?

And this is seen as a GOOD THING?

trotsky

(49,533 posts)

4. Tsk, tsk. You know we can't blame the wonderpope.

Reply to AtheistCrusader (Reply #3)

Tue Apr 21, 2015, 12:11 PM

Apr 2015

Perhaps there was a translation error in the information he received about this case.

cbayer

(146,218 posts)

5. Should have resigned years ago. This would be a good opportunity for the vatican to say