Robert Finn (Bishop)

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Bishop's coat of arms by Robert William Finn

Robert William Finn (born April 2, 1953 in St. Louis , Missouri ) is an American clergyman and emeritus Roman Catholic Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph . He is a member of the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, which is associated with Opus Dei . In 2012 he was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence for failing to report a child pornography case.

Life

Finn studied theology at Archbishop St. Louis Preparatory Seminary North and graduated from Cardinal Glennon College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1975 . As a seminarian at the Pontifical North America College in Rome , he obtained a Magister Theologiae from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in 1979 . As a deacon he worked in the parish of St Charles Borromeo in London. Finn was ordained a priest on July 7, 1979 in St. Louis . Pope John Paul II awarded Finn the title of Chaplain to His Holiness in August 2003 .

On March 9, 2004, Finn was named coadjutor of Kansas City-Saint Joseph . On 3 May 2004 he received in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Kansas City , the episcopal ordination by Archbishop Raymond Leo Burke . Co- consecrators were the Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph, Raymond James Boland , and the Coadjutor Archbishop of Kansas City , Joseph Fred Naumann . With the resignation of Raymond James Boland on May 24, 2005, he followed this as Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph.

Finn represents Catholic natural law and is a staunch advocate of the right to life movement . In a speech in 2009 he condemned not only politicians who spoke out in favor of a “right to abortion”, but also those who even tolerated abortion .

Against the background of the abuse scandals , legal proceedings against him were opened on October 6, 2011. He had covered priest Shawn Ratigan who was hoarding child pornography . Finn said he was not guilty of the trial, but admitted to having known of "disturbing images" in December 2010. In Missouri, clerics are also required to report criminal abuse of young people. In 2008, Finn tried to come to an agreement with 47 plaintiffs by paying ten million dollars and to put the allegations out of the world.

On September 6, 2012, Finn was given a two-year suspended sentence for covering up the sexual abuse of children after Ratigan confessed to his actions in August 2012. After Finn was convicted, activists from the National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) demonstrated unsuccessfully in Kansas City for his resignation. According to the diocesan spokesman Jack Smith, there will be no response to the protests and the bishop will remain focused on his work.

On April 21, 2015, Pope Francis accepted his resignation after Seán Patrick O'Malley , chairman of the Papal Child Protection Commission , campaigned for Finn to be removed from the episcopate.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dennis Coday, Extreme makeover: The diocese , National Catholic Reporter , May 12, 2006
  2. ↑ a b US bishop to court after abuse incident , Spiegel Online , October 15, 2011
  3. ↑ Thomas Spang: An untenable situation. kathisch.de of April 22, 2015
  4. ↑ 'I tell you soberly: We are at war' , kath.net, April 29, 2009, accessed on: April 22, 2015
  5. ^ US Department of Health & Human Services : Mandatory Reporters of Child abuse and neglect. Page 2, as of August 2015
  6. ↑ Missouri Revised Statutes, section 570-020: Reports of abuse, neglect, and under age eighteen deaths - persons required to report - supervisors and administrators not to impede reporting--
  7. ↑ domradio.de, April 22, 2015 (according to KNA)
  8. ^ US bishop convicted of covering up abuse , Domradio , September 7, 2012
  9. ^ Karen Dillon: Catholic group calls for KC Bishop Robert Finn to resign. In: The Kansas City Star. September 16, 2012, archived from the original on December 15, 2013 ; accessed on December 10, 2017 (English).
  10. ^ Vatican: Statutes of the Child Protection Commission published . Vatican Radio , May 8, 2015
  11. ^ Rinuncia del Vescovo di Kansas City-Saint Joseph (USA). In: Daily Bulletin. Holy See Press Office , April 21, 2015, accessed April 21, 2015 (Italian).
predecessor Office successor
Raymond James Boland Bishop of Kansas City-Saint Joseph
2005-2015 		Joseph Fred Naumann
(Apostolic Administrator)
personal data
SURNAME Finn, Robert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Finn, Robert William (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American clergyman and Roman Catholic bishop
DATE OF BIRTH April 2, 1953
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Louis , USA