Bishop found guilty of failing to report abuse.

[powderman]

Missouri bishop found guilty of one count misdemeanor for failing to report priest  Published September 06, 2012
Associated Press    KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  A Missouri bishop who became the nation's highest-ranking Catholic official charged with shielding an abusive priest was found guilty Thursday of one misdemeanor count of failing to report suspected child abuse, a conviction that extends the Church's struggles to shake its reputation for protecting pedophile priests.
 
Bishop Robert Finn was acquitted on a second count. He received two years of probation, but that sentence was suspended. He is required to have mandatory abuse reporter training.
Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph were each charged with two misdemeanor counts of failing to report suspected child abuse to the state. Prosecutors said Thursday they are seeking to dismiss the charges against the diocese, but the judge hasn't decided on the request and is set to rule Friday.
 
"I truly regret and am sorry for the hurt these events have caused," Finn said to the judge before being sentenced.
 
The charges stemmed from the child pornography case of Rev. Shawn Ratigan, in which Finn and other church officials knew about photos on the priest's computer but didn't turn him in for six months.
Finn argued he should not face charges because he was not the diocese's mandated reporter under the law. At the time, the responsibility rested mainly with Vicar General Robert Murphy.
Attorneys for both Finn and the diocese also have argued that the state's law is unconstitutional.
 
A computer technician found child pornography on Ratigan's laptop in December 2010 and reported it to the diocese. Of the hundreds of images found, many focused on the crotch areas of clothed children and one series showed the exposed genitals of a girl believed to be 3 or 4 years old.
 
Finn has acknowledged he was told in December 2010 about the images. The bishop also has acknowledged that a parochial school principal had raised concerns about Ratigan's behavior around children in May 2010.
State law requires that the Division of Family Services be informed of such evidence of abuse.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/09/06/missouri-bishop-found-guilty-one-misdemeanor-count-for-failing-to-report-priest/?test=latestnews#ixzz25kJrx0Ex

[Shu]

If you know about it and do nothing you support it. When you support it you might as well do it yourself, becuase you are definitely involved in it.

[powderman]

If you know about it and do nothing you support it. When you support it you might as well do it yourself, becuase you are definitely involved in it.

 
SHU. YEP, agreed Sir. POWDERMAN. 

[yellowtail3]

I just realized sumthin: we're all the time hearing about Muslim being bad, and how they're founded by a 'pedophile prophet'... but most of the pedo-filin' we hear about related to religion, is Christian Pedophi-lin'.... what's up with that disconnect?


Maybe one of our posters, equally expert in the two religions, can expound??

[Shu]

I believe both Powderman and myself agreed, this man is at fault for not reporting and him hiding the issue is just as bad as the guy doing it. This was another thread started by Powderman decrying two supposed christian men. This would not be the first thread Powderman called out christian pedophiles.
 
Regardless of a persons faith pedophilia is wrong how many times must we say this?
 
 

[yellowtail3]

Regardless of a persons faith pedophilia is wrong how many times must we say this?

I don't know that you need to do that at all, Shu.


I'm wondering why pedophilia is so prevalent in the leadership of the largest Christian sect? Especially in light of self-professed Christians, repeatedly calling Muhammad a pedophile?


Seems that between the two religions... Christianity has a lot more pedophilia. I know there's lots more pornography involving kids in it in Europe and the US, compared with majority Muslim countries.


I wonder why this is?

[Shu]

You hear more about it in America and Europe. This is the information age with free speech news travels much faster becuase Americans and Europeans find it necesary to put everything on the interweb. The muslim countries don't broadcast it as much but it still happens there.
 
Your right YT3 I am confident you know pedophilia is wrong. There is no need for me to tell you that.

[BBF]

 DANG !! That sentence sure was harsh and the offender will suffer for it for the rest of his life and others will take note of the seriousness of the crime, oops misdemeanor.....................now carry on.