Stakes are high for church as ‘failure to report’ case unfolds against Kansas City bishop

[Julian Englis]

Source: The Washington Post

The charge is only a misdemeanor, but if prosecutors are able to win a conviction against Kansas City Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Finn, they could be opening up a whole new front in the national priest abuse crisis.

Finn is accused of violating Missouri’s mandatory reporter law by failing to tell state officials about hundreds of images of suspected child pornography found on the computer of a priest in his diocese.

Experts say a criminal conviction against Finn, the highest-ranking church official charged with shielding an abusive priest, could embolden prosecutors elsewhere to more aggressively pursue members of the church hierarchy who try to protect offending clergy.

“Cases can sit like land mines in files for a long time and suddenly come to light,” said Matthew Bunson, a senior fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and co-author of a book, “Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal.” ‘’Those cases may ultimately involve leaders in the church.”

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-faith/stakes-are-high-for-church-as-failure-to-report-case-unfolds-against-kansas-city-bishop/2012/03/25/gIQAUhcqZS_story.html

[Moonwalk]

1. Well, this certainly doesn't fall under the seal of the confessional....

Unless the priest showed them to Finn as part of his confession?

[HopeHoops]

2. They just consider those "Holy Images" endorsed by Jesus H. God-dammned Christ himself.

[xtraxritical]

13. Gosh, and my reply in regard to Zimmerman gets hidden by the moderators. lol eom

[HopeHoops]

15. Zimmerman needs a red hot poker up his ass.

[freefall]

3. Thanks for posting, Julian.

It will be interesting to see what happens on Tuesday. If the facts in the story are correct it would appear that the priest and bishop are indeed guilty but of course we must assume innocence until they are proven so in a court of law.

[atreides1]

4. It's about time

I can't wait for the catholic church to say that this violates the guarantee of freedom of religion, too?

[tsuki]

10. They have already laid the groundwork.

"Separation of church and state also is a significant issue for the church, Laycock said.

“Say a bishop has to report to police everything he knows about a priest under his supervision,” Laycock said. “If child abuse is involved, it may be a sensible and constitutional law. But it certainly intrudes on the supervisory relationship of a bishop and priest.”"

[HurricaneWarning]

12. Way too general a statement.

"Intrudes on the supervisory relationship of a bishop and a priest." Supervising is not confessing. He should have turned him in.

[Mz Pip]

5. I wonder if we will see

1000 parishoners protesting outside the church like they did in NE when they protested against the contraception in health care ruling. I won't hold my breath though.

[bowens43]

6. If little boys could get pregnent

the catholic bishops wouldn't be bitching about contraceptives.....

[aquart]

7. So true.

[tabasco]

8. The motherfuckers don't pay taxes but they damn sure

fall under the criminal code!

[lovuian]

9. They keep hiding the Truth

and it keeps rising up

Shielding their priests only makes them accessory to the crime

[secondvariety]

11. Every week

there's some new report about horrible abuse by the Catholic Church. What was it last week-young boys getting castrated in Norway to keep them quiet about molestation? WTF, does the Church intentionally go out and recruit perverted psychopaths or is that all that apply for the job? I thought Scientology was messed up, but they can't hold a candle to the Catholic Church.

[Joe Bacon]

14. He'll get away with it just like Phony Mahoney did

Ol Phony Mahoney here in Los Angeles was let off the hook even after he admitted that he did the pedophile shuffle. He even admitted it before the grand jury, but they wouldn't indict him and we know why.