Melissa Schroeder's attorney has filed the action against Kansas City Archdiocese, Sacred Heart Catholic School in Shawnee and the school's principal.

Mrs Schroeder said she reported the bullying to the school in April, 2014.

She provided notes from a doctor who found her 10-year-old girl's severe migraines may have been the result of mistreatment at school.

But the principal did not take the claims seriously, according to the suit - and told the woman that "perhaps this school is not for you".

The Kansas Department of Children and Families opened a child abuse and neglect investigation against Mrs Schroeder - which she says was launched by a complaint filed by the principal.

Mrs Schroeder's attorney, Sarah Brown, said the DCF closed their investigation regarding her client after they found no signs of abuse.

Her client is suing for punitive damages on several counts including defamation, malicious prosecution and invasion of privacy.

The lawsuit claims the principal told DCF that Mrs Schroeder asked "for the anointing of the sick" and "requested an exorcism" - but the woman denies making those requests.

She met with a priest to discuss the situation, and he confirmed the principal had made the DCF "hotline call" after meeting with the superintendent and a nun.

"I think she's a very brave woman who was genuinely concerned about protecting kids and protecting her kids from bullying and coming forward and exposing wrongdoing then that turned back at her," said Ms Brown.

A representative for the archdiocese would not give a comment to media regarding the lawsuit since an investigation is still pending.

Sources

• KSHB
• Raw Story
• Image: WPRI

In a column for World Communications Day in his diocesan paper, The Catholic Key, Bishop Finn said he had a responsibility to "instruct the Faithful about the problematic nature of this media source which bears the name ‘Catholic' ".

He said he had been "deluged with emails and other correspondence from Catholics concerned about the editorial stances of the Reporter: officially condemning Church teaching on the ordination of women, insistent undermining of Church teaching on artificial contraception and sexual morality in general, lionizing dissident theologies while rejecting established Magisterial teaching, and a litany of other issues".

Bishop Finn — who was once editor of the St Louis diocesan newspaper — said he had asked the Reporter to "submit their bona fides as a Catholic media outlet in accord with the expectations of Church law" but the paper declined to participate, indicating it considered itself an "independent newspaper which commented on ‘things Catholic' ".

The 49-year-old Reporter, which describes itself as "one of the few independent journalistic outlets for Catholics and others who struggle with the complex moral and societal issues of the day", has won many awards for its journalism.

Last year it called for Bishop Finn to resign after he became the first bishops in the United States to be convicted of failing to report a priest suspected of child sex-abuse.

Reponding to Bishop Finn's column, the Reporter's publisher, Thomas Fox, said his paper had enjoyed cordial relations with most of his predecessors, one of whom blessed its building.

He added: "NCR is proud to call itself a Catholic publication. We report and comment on church matters, including official teachings. We also report and comment on those who call into question some of these official teachings."

Sources:

The Catholic Key

National Catholic Reporter

Image: USA Today

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