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PDF versionKansas City Star calls for Bishop Robert Finn's resignation
by Thomas C. Fox on Jun. 04, 2011
Recent child sexual abuse allegations and disturbing inattention to earlier warnings make it clear it’s time for Bishop Robert Finn to step down. It’s painful to believe the most vulnerable in his flock weren’t protected. Allegations that priests in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph were harming children apparently were downplayed, even in the aftermath of a stream of national scandals. Finn appears to have pushed legal limits and shattered moral guidelines by delaying actions. He has tragically shaken the faith of many who seek peace in churches under his supervision.
An editorial in today's Kansas City Star, saying that Kansas City - St. Joseph Bishop Robert Finn has "shattered moral guidelines" and "shaken the faith of many,"called for his resignation.
The editorial reads:
In 2008, when the church agreed to settle a lawsuit with 47 plaintiffs for $10 million, Finn promised that the diocese would take steps to ensure that children from that moment on were safe in religious settings. Yet he now says he regrets not actively pursuing newer allegations against a priest in his diocese.
Clearly, Finn could not reasonably have been expected to have governed the actions of every priest under his jurisdiction. And he is not responsible for what happened before he assumed his office in 2005. However, there was a disturbing pattern in his diocese. As of now, 18 current and former priests have been accused of abuse.
Given those numbers, Finn can reasonably be held to a higher degree of diligence than he exhibited. And it’s understandable that some parishioners perceive a cavalier manner in which he loitered with allegations.
Our society has enacted laws to punish those who victimize children. But there are also laws against ignoring suspicions of child abuse.
Last year in Augsburg, Germany, Bishop Walter Mixa faced abuse allegations, resigned, and the German church was healed, in part at least.
A resignation here could be step one in rebuilding faith in the diocese. For step two, area prosecutors must actively pursue all relevant criminal charges against all involved in these scandals.
These steps are necessary to protect society, to protect the Catholic Church and, most of all, to protect our children.
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It's about time the Bishops
It's about time the Bishops were held responsible for their actions or inaction!
The poor man is a simpleton
The poor man is a simpleton and therefore the culpability should be less. Ignorance like his deprives a person (in this case, a bishop) of freedom because he doesn't know what legal alternatives there are. It is impossible to choose to do what one has never "heard of" or "knew of." He is truely a simpleton. God help him! I pray for him and especially the priests under him. It's so sad.
None the less this
None the less this "Simpleton" is turning his back while children are being molested, just like the other "Simpleton" Bishops. Was Cardinal Law in Boston A "Simpleton". All the more reason he should step down. If he cannot live up to the requirements of the position then he needs to go! he should simply be arrested for complicity. Maybe that would awaken the Catholic hierarchy and level their hubris!
It's really a bit much for a
It's really a bit much for a secular journal to call for a bishop to resign for any reason at all, to include the abuse crisis! Let the secular folk be concerned with matters of the world & keep their nose out of the Church's business! This bishop appears to have overlooked a letter which was questionable to begin with. If the matter was so urgent then why didn't the school principal contact the bishop directly? And who appointed her as pedophile detector anyway?
The worst thing this priest has done so far for sure is to view kiddie porn. Should that even be a crime, I have to ask? Now out of the blue there is a lawsuit against the bishop by the parents of a girl who claim this priest has been abusing their child since 2006. And they only file the lawsuit now? How likely is it that any priest in today's Church would bother with a girl anyway? They have other fish to fry according to the profile of this abuse crisis! It seems to me this is pure opportunism on the part of these rotten parents!
Keep secular folk out of
Keep secular folk out of Church business? Gee, that sounds familiar. Keep it in the "family." Let the Church handle it. Sounds like a recipe for another abuse crisis.
Who appointed a Catholic School principal as a pedohphile detector? Bishop Finn. When he mandated her attendance at an abuse-prevention program. To say nothing of the State.
Whether viewing kiddie porn should be a crime or not is moot. It is a crime! And probably not a great habit for a Catholic priest to be in.
I suspect the lawsuit isn't "out of the blue." More likely it is out of the publicity, and parents now (wisely) asking their children about their interactions with Fr. Creep.
How likely is it that a priest in "today's Church" would "bother" with a girl? Very likely, if he was given to the behaviors that have now been documented.
"Rotten parents?" You blame the victims?
How about "rotten seminary," "rotten priests' vicar," and "rotten bishop?"
Dear paulte, Would you make
Dear paulte,
Would you make these glib and callous comments to Jesus who said, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." (Mt. 18:6) I think that included even "kiddie porn."
Your comments about the principal are un-Christian and show a lack of respect. She was fulfilling her duties as an educator and guardian of children, a "secular" job held by a "lay" person, while Bishop Finn and Shawn Ratigan, men "consecrated" and "ordained" by the Church to safeguard and guide the bodies and souls of those entrusted to their care, misused and abused their position and power.
Your assessment of the "rotten parents" leads me to assume that whether you have children or not, you yourself are not a loving parent.
I will include you in my prayers for Bishop Finn and Shawn Ratigan.
Paz y Bien, Rolando, SFO.
"The worst thing this priest
"The worst thing this priest has done so far for sure is to view kiddie porn."
"How likely is it that any priest in today's Church would bother with a girl anyway?"
Paulte, you've done enough. Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?
"The worst thing this priest
"The worst thing this priest has done so far is to view kiddie porn." Paulte, Listen to what you just wrote here. Are you serious???
And this individual is a representative of an organization that pro ports to instruct adolescents and families on sexuality?
And what about ALL of his handlers? You seriously believe the possession and distribution of the evidence went no higher than the bishop's office?
Unfortunately, it is
Unfortunately, it is attitudes such as yours that have fostered and enabled the human rights crimes of the RCC against women and children. The state, as well as the press, has an interest in preventing such criminal activity.
Your question: "who appointed her as pedophile detector anyway?" is unbelievable. Everyone except you seems to understand that parents of school children charge faculty and administrators with their children's safety. In this instance, the principal was merely discharging her professional responsibility.
"Rotten Parents"??? Is the
"Rotten Parents"???
Is the response of fellow Catholics to families who financially sacrifice to try to instill Catholic values in their children's tender years?
Sadly, This is the only language the institutional church ever listens to form the laity.
I'm sorry you feel this way.
"Who appointed [the school
"Who appointed [the school principal] pedophile detector anyway?"
The law makes teachers/school administrators/catechists mandatory reporters. The school principal was legally obligated to report it to the police, but foolishly relied on a dinosaur in a mitre to handle it. See today's Jamie Manson article about the internalized clericism of the laity in the NCR for why she probably did not fulfill her legally mandated responsibility.
"Let the secular folk be concerned with matters of the world & keep their nose out of the Church's business!"
This same bishop loudly and frequently proclaimed in 2008 op-ed pieces in the secular press that any Catholic who voted for Obama risked his eternal salvation. Stings a little when the chickens come home to roost, doesn't it?
"The worst thing this priest has done so far for sure is to view kiddie porn. Should that even be a crime?"
On your home planet, I'm sure it's not. But when you come to Earth, you have to adapt to human standards of behavior.
"It seems to me this is pure opportunism on the part of these rotten parents!"
Until it hurts enough in what bishops of Finn's ilk care about, money and prestige, they will never start doing their job of protecting children. These parents are doing a service for the Catholic Church. Give them their money and a medal. Incidentally, as a visitor to KC this week, I am really glad I didn't drop but $5 in the offering basket of the cathedral.
Sir, you are the kind of Catholic I really, really wonder about. I mean, really.
I would simply point out that
I would simply point out that NOTHING in the letter by the principal consisted of criminal behavior. She had NOTHING to report to the police. However, it was unacceptable and suspicious behavior that needed to be reported to the superiors of the priest. No criminal behavior was uncovered until the repairman found the kiddie porn on the computer drive. I think Ms Manson is out of line questioning the actions of the principal. She was brave as it was to write the letter she did in the first place, given the clericalism that exists in the leadership of that idiocese.
Wow! Paulte, you have
Wow! Paulte, you have outdone yourself. No priest would abuse a girl because all priests are gay, and if a child is abused by a priest it is the parents fault. Is that what you are saying?
Paulte, where are you coming
Paulte, where are you coming from? Yes, Kiddie porn is a crime and it should be. You seem to be making excuses for this awful Ratigan fellow and for Finn covering for him. Your attitude is unbelievable to say the least.
Regarding: "It's really a bit
Regarding: "It's really a bit much for a secular journal to call for a bishop to resign for any reason at all, to include the abuse crisis! Let the secular folk be concerned with matters of the world & keep their nose out of the Church's business! "
- Those of us who are orthodox and in union with the Archbishop of Rome,currently Benedict xvi, instinctively know that this statement denies right belief. Three things to consider:
= Christians, especially those in union with the Archbishop of Rome, know that their vocation is to evangelize and to help bring about the Kingdom of God in the world. By this then is the right and reason for Christians to hold the institutional church and its hierarchs accountable for their failures in obeying the call of Jesus himself to proclaim the good news of Gods love and mercy.
= Response and dialog from the secular world is encouraged and wanted by the Archbishops of Rome as we well know from their addressing men and women of good will.
= I will not be surprised if christians who work for the secular newspaper are the ones who are responsible for the newspaper's call for resignation. That is, until proven otherwise I will expect that the editorial board primarily operates with a christian ethos. An ethos to which the call resignation itself is a testament.
= The People of God should be further alarmed by the remark above. Bishop Finn has shown himself to be less than orthodox, for all of his past posturing, he clearly does not heed Jesus' call to protect the smallest children, nor does he even obey US canon law.
In the end, we should expect that all bishops from Opus Dei should be visited by other bishops in their region and their pastoral councils to ascertain that they do not operate with a 'pure catholic church' mentality that puts them over and above the people they serve and the Archbishop of Rome with whom we are are in union. We also should have the pastoral councils' in Kansas investigate all the decisions of Finn to make sure that he has not dismantled any lay effort, or taught anything which offends orthodoxy.
No orthodox Catholic would
No orthodox Catholic would hand over the right of the Church to manage her own affairs to the state or to any secular entity, most especially the media. The liberal media in the USA is despicable & so are your phony views!
Yes, the bishop is a
Yes, the bishop is a simpleton, a foolish fellow. But not all bishops are that foolish.
A few years ago, a priest of the Fall River Diocese, who had delivered his computer to a company to be fixed, was arrested shortly after the company people discovered kiddy photos and porn in his files. A company agent called the bishop to report what they had found and the bishop immediately called the police and sheriff's office and had the priest removed from his rectory and arrested the same day.
So not all bishops are foolish fellows or nincompoops. What an embarrassment -- that a bishop could be so foolishing crass and dumb!
I am reminded of one of Dorothy Parker's retorts to a foolish young man who had been discoursing at length at a party and had finally observed, "I simply can't bear fools."
"How odd," answered Parker. "Apparently, your mother could."
Well, apparently the priests of Kansas City diocese can bear Bishop Finn as can our Holy Father. God help them!
paulte, you can't be serious.
paulte, you can't be serious. Criminality by anyone is the concern of responsible media. The protection of children is a matter of the world and it is a constant source of disgrace that the hierarchy does not seriously believe that it is the Church's business. Yet somehow you can look at this sordid situation and only find fault with 2 females.
Have they also called for the
Have they also called for the removal of all public school administrators--because I can guarantee there have been many examples of child sexual abuse going on in their local public schools.
Nice try at building a
Nice try at building a strawman. Go back to the beach and stick to building sand castles....
They need to start
They need to start prosecuting the bishops, this should have been done already anyway. Then they will begin to wake up from their slumber.
Criticizing without all the
Criticizing without all the facts???
I moved from KC last year (I was born in NKC and lived all of my life in the area until then...43 yrs). I heard about this incident the other day, so went looking for the story. When I want to find something critical of the Catholic Church I know I can always and easily find it in two places: NCR and the Liberal KC Star. That's just the way it is. It's even worse than from the protestants, I think, and I used to be a Baptist!
Anyhow, I know that Bishop Finn does have a lot on his plate, but I had a matter which required his knowledge and attention. Two priests told me to write to him to let him know about it. I mailed the letter on a Wednesday and Bishop Finn personally phoned me the following Monday. So PLEASE don't say that Bishop Finn has a history of not getting back to people on issues, for as I can PERSONALLY attest, he most certainly does respond.
The Bible also says "Judge not lest ye also be judged" and that is one of the hardest Bible verses to live up to. I know I confess it all of the time. So until any of us have ALL the facts, let's hold off on the mudslinging---INCLUDING the NCR and Kansas City STAR.
They found what seems to be
They found what seems to be child pornography on another priests computer. The secular world calls for the resignation of the Bishop, and they want to burn the other priest in effigy.
What does it all mean.
It this world it is meaningless. Only our works in the sight of God mean anything. Man may pass his judgements upon the people of this world. Man may even kill another man for a wrong he believes he has done but it is all meaningless in the eyes of God. Our service to God, and our love of our fellow man is all that matters. If we lose our life because of this belief, so be it. Our lives are not our own they are Gods to do with as he sees fit. We are his humble servants and our lives are his.
Saint Paul writes in Romans: 4 1-8
Brothers and sisters:
What can we say that Abraham found,
our ancestor according to the flesh?
Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works,
he has reason to boast;
but this was not so in the sight of God.
For what does the Scripture say?
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
A worker's wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
But when one does not work,
yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is credited as righteousness.
So also David declares the blessedness of the person
to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.
What all this means is that salvation comes from God, not man. In our lousy eighty years here on earth our only mark on eternity is our service to God. You may want secular justice but I say let God handle it. Have faith that God will do whatever is right and just. God loves these men in a way that we will never ever understand. We can not do any less. We are bound by our God to the second commandment of Jesus. "Love your neighbor as you love yourself.". Pray for these men and know that God will deal justly, for only God knows a mans heart.
May the Lord Bless you, protect you from all evil, and bring you all into everlasting life.
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