Bishop Robert Finn enters diversion program to stave off Clay County charges
As Bishop Robert Finn of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph faces misdemeanor charges in Jackson County stemming from the Rev. Shawn Ratigan child-pornography case, it was announced Tuesday that he has been spared from charges in Clay County. Prosecutor Daniel White said Finn has entered a diversion program that requires him to meet with a prosecutor to go over suspicious incidents in the diocese for five years.
In October, Finn was charged with failing to report suspected child abuse “due to previous knowledge of concerns regarding Father Ratigan and children; the discovery of hundreds of photographs of children on Father Ratigan’s laptop, including a child’s naked vagina, upskirt images and other images focused on the crotch; and violations of restrictions placed on Father Ratigan.”
