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

Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley told US network CBS that the case of Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City is "a question the Holy See needs to address urgently".

Bishop Finn was found guilty in 2012 of a criminal misdemeanour count of shielding a priest who was a threat to children.

The priest, Shawn Ratigan, was found guilty in 2013 of producing child pornography and was sentenced to 50 years in jail.

Bishop Finn was sentenced to two years probation for waiting six months before telling police that diocesan officials had found pornographic images of young girls on Ratigan's computer.

Cardinal O'Malley, who heads the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, said Pope Francis recognises the need to address the Bishop Finn situation.

Speaking to CBS News, Cardinal O'Malley agreed that under the Catholic Church's zero-tolerance policy, he wouldn't let Bishop Finn teach Sunday school in Boston, let alone head a diocese.

CBS interviewer Norah O'Donnell put it to Cardinal O'Malley that one of the "biggest scandals" of the Church in recent years is the way bishops handled priests accused of abuse.

Cardinal O'Malley responded that is something he and the commission are working on.

"One of the first things that we came up was the importance of accountability and we're looking at how the Church can have protocols and how to respond when a bishop has not been responsible for protection of children in his diocese," he stated.

In September, Canadian Archbishop Terrence Prendergast visited Kansas City diocese on behalf of the Vatican to investigate Bishop Finn's leadership.

In the CBS interview, Cardinal O'Malley also called a Vatican doctrinal investigation of American nuns "a disaster".

Cardinal O'Malley is one of the council of cardinal advisors to Pope Francis.

The CBS 60 Minutes item was broadcast on November 16.

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Crux Now
• Image: National Catholic Reporter

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

Finn, the Bishop of Kansas City - St Joseph, Missouri has been sentenced to two years probation and will not serve any jail time, nor pay a fine.

The offence carried a maximum of one year's prison and a $1,000 fine.

Judge Torrence acquitted Finn of a second count, saying the prosecutors had not met their burden of proof.

Finn apologised in a statement provided to CNA. "I regret and am sorry for the hurt that these events have caused. The protection of children is paramount. Sexual abuse of any kind will not be tolerated."

In pledging to take "every reasonable step" to protect children from abuse, Finn said he is "pleased and grateful" that the court and prosecutor allowed the matter to be concluded.

However calls for Finn's resignation have intensified after the verdict became public and unhappy Catholics began discussing how to remove Finn from office on a Facebook page "Bishop Finn Must Go".

"How on earth do you trust him to be 'shepherd' [to] any flock....It is not about forgiveness, forgive him if you so choose. It is about accountability. The lack of action by Vatican Officials cannot be any clearer," wrote Mark Crawford.

"Every parishioner of his diocese should protest and not attend church until he resigns. Let an empty church show your message," Ryan McHale wrote.

Shelli Lange commented. "As Clint Eastwood said recently, "When someone doesn't do the job, we've got to let them go". Seems to apply here as well."

The charges against Finn stemmed from the child pornography case of the Fr Shawn Ratigan. Finn, along with other Church officials, knew about photos on the priest's computer but didn't turn him in for six months.

Finn also acknowledged he was told in December 2010 about the images and that the parish school principal had raised concerns about Ratigan's behavior around children in May 2010.

Finn argued he should not face charges because at the time he was not the diocese's mandated reporter under the law. That responsibility lay with diocese's Vicar General.

A computer technician reported child pornography images found on Ratigan's laptop computer to the diocese in December 2010.

Sources

• Facebook
• CNA
• CNN
• Kansas City Star
• Image: Kansas City Star