The special liturgy of penitence took place at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City on June 26.

The previous bishop of Kansas City-St Joseph, Bishop Robert Finn, was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty in 2012 to failing to report a suspected abuser.

Pope Francis accepted Bishop Finn's resignation in 2015.

This followed reports of sexual abuse in the diocese and the bishop's inadequate response.

At the Service of Lament, a single chime rang out after each victim's statement was read out.

About 450 lay people attended the service.

Dozens of priests stood around the altar and prayed for the healing of children sexually abused by priests.

The diocese's current ordinary, Bishop James Johnston, said: "I am here to confess, apologise and repent for the sins of those who held the sacred trust of the Church, and betrayed that trust".

The bishop's apology was directed toward not only survivors of abuse, but also their families, the community and innocent priests in the diocese who have been affected by the scandal.

"I offer you my deep sorrow and profound regret for what the Catholic people have endured," he said.

During the homily, Bishop Johnston also promised to install a visible, permanent reminder of the betrayal.

He also declared an annual diocesan day of care for protection of children on April 26, beginning in 2017.

He said he will create a team that will "review current policy and implement best practices".

"For those seeking spiritual care, we will develop a programme with people specially trained to serve as spiritual directors," Bishop Johnston said.

"Please be patient as we embark on this journey together," he asked.

One abuse survivor called the service of lament "monumental" and said it made a difference for him.

Sources

• Religion News Service
• Image: Religion News Service

On Tuesday, the Vatican announced the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn of the diocese of St Joseph-Kansas City in Missouri.

The announcement cited canon law that a bishop who "has become less able to fulfil his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office".

Bishop Finn, 62, had made a surprise visit to Rome on April 14, during which he met the prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

In 2012, Bishop Finn was convicted on a misdemeanour count of failing to report suspected child abuse in the case of former priest Fr Shawn Ratigan, who produced child pornography.

The bishop had failed to inform authorities when a computer technician discovered hundreds of indecent photos of underage minors on Ratigan's laptop.

Bishop Finn sent him for therapy and ordered him to not be near children. Ratigan had reportedly attempted suicide.

But the priest continued to attend church events and take inappropriate photos of girls for five more months.

Church officials reported him in May, 2011, without Bishop Finn's approval.

After conviction, the bishop was given a suspended sentence and later struck a deal to avoid a similar charge by entering a diversion programme.

Local Catholics began calling for Bishop Finn's resignation in 2011.

An online petition asking for the Vatican to remove him was opened in 2012 and gathered more than 260,000 signatures.

An apostolic visitation of St Joseph-Kansas City diocese was carried out by Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa in September, 2014.

Spokespeople for the diocese said in the wake of Bishop Finn's resignation that now is the time for healing.

According to an article in the National Catholic Reporter, the bishop's resignation "will have significance beyond the borders of Missouri".

"The issue of holding bishops accountable has long been the largest and most provocative unresolved element in the Church's handling of sexual abuse cases," the article stated.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• The Tablet
• Crux
• Image: Kansas City Star

"Civil law has done what civil law can do. The church has done nothing in terms of calling Bishop Finn to accountability. He continues as bishop as if nothing really ever happened," said Mercy Sr. Jeanne Christensen, a former victims' advocate for the diocese co-heading the appeal. She spoke at a press conference Monday outside the diocesan offices.

The Kansas City Catholics' petition, dated Feb. 11, represents a formal request that the Vatican initiate a penal process to determine whether Finn violated church law by failing to report suspected child sexual abuse in connection to Fr. Shawn Ratigan. Continue reading

NCR says that if Finn were a layperson he would not be allowed to volunteer at a Kansas City parish, teach a religious education class or chaperone a parish youth group to World Youth Day and asks why the same standards should not apply to the diocese's 'chief pastor'.

NCR has identified two significant issues

• the governance of the Kansas City-St Joseph diocese
• the integrity of the US Catholic bishop conference

According to NCR, Finn, for almost a year, has been largely absent from the the day-to-day life of the diocese. The chancery offices are in disarray, diocesan personnel feel abandoned and the clergy are either dumbfounded or angry.

Even putting aside the US$1.39m costs surrounding his defence, NCR, whose offices are in Kansas City, does not believe that Finn can heal the wounds inflicted on the local church.

Finn's inactivity has also brought unwanted attention on the US Catholic Bishops' conference.

It is 10 years since the Bishops adopted the Dallas Charter for the Protection of Children, and in this time the bishops have told their flocks that whatever happened in the past, they learned their lesson and would be vigilant both in the protection of children and the prosecution of those who failed to protect them.

The bishops mantra for the past 10 years is there no place safer for children than the ministries and parishes of the Catholic church and so to maintain the integrity of the US Catholic Bishops' conference and for the good of the local church, NCR concludes Bishop Finn must go.

Sources

• NCR
• Yahoo News

The indictment of the bishop, Robert W. Finn, and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph by a county grand jury was announced on Friday. Each was charged with one misdemeanor count involving a priest accused of taking pornographic photographs of girls as recently as this year. They pleaded not guilty.

The case caused an uproar among Catholics in Kansas City this year when Bishop Finn acknowledged that he knew of the photographs last December but did not turn them over to the police until May. During that time, the priest, the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, is said to have continued to attend church events with children, and took lewd photographs of another young girl.

A decade ago the American bishops pledged to report suspected abusers to law enforcement authorities — a policy also recommended last year by the Vatican. Bishop Finn himself had made such a promise three years ago as part of a $10 million legal settlement with abuse victims in Kansas City.

Though the charge is only a misdemeanor, victims' advocates immediately hailed the indictment as a breakthrough, saying that until now American bishops have avoided prosecution despite documents showing that in some cases they were aware of abuse.

If convicted Bishop Finn would face a possible fine of up to $1,000 and a jail sentence of up to a year. The diocese faces a possible fine of up to $5,000.

Full Story: The New York Times

Image: Serviam