NEWTON, Mass., Oct. 14, 2011 – Bishop Robert Finn and the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese were indicted today by a Jackson County, Missouri, grand jury for failing to report child abuse, the first time a Catholic bishop has been indicted on such a charge since clergy sexual abuse of children was first made widely known in the United States.
Voice of the Faithful long has sought accountability for church officials who have not responded quickly and openly to protect children when allegations of abuse have become known. VOTF is saddened to see that, despite numerous pledges to prevent such abuse and to remove predator priests, a bishop still chose silence rather than reporting potential criminal activity to responsible civil authorities.
Equally sad is that ineffectiveness and lack of accountability at the highest levels of the Catholic Church forces us to rely on civil authorities to hold bishops accountable for failures to protect children.
Voice of the Faithful
Voice of the Faithful is a worldwide movement of concerned mainstream Roman Catholics working to support survivors of clergy sexual abuse, support priests of integrity and shape structural change within the Church. More information is at https://www.votf.org.
Contact:
Nick Ingala, 718-559-3360, 617-291-3495 Cell
nickingala@votf.org