BishopAccountability.org
	Support Principal Hess Kansas City June 3, 2011 http://www.petitiononline.com/4530971/petition.html [Note from BishopAccountability.org: This is an internet petition in support of whistleblower Julie Hess, the principal of St. Patrick’s parochial school in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. One year ago, on May 19, 2010, Hess wrote a remarkable memo to Msgr. A. Robert Murphy, Vicar General of the diocese, detailing sexual misconduct by Rev. Shawn F. Ratigan and describing the concerns of administration, teachers, and parents that Ratigan might be a pedophile. Bishop Robert W. Finn recently admitted that he was briefed at the time on the memo, but Ratigan was left in ministry, and law enforcement was not informed – a violation of legal commitments that Finn had made on August 19, 2008. Seven months later, in December 2010, child abuse images were found on Ratigan’s laptop, and he attempted suicide. Finn transferred him to the Prayer Center, Adoration Chapel, and Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Eucharist, which hosts retreats. Parishioners at St. Patrick’s were not informed of the reason for Ratigan’s transfer, and prayed for his recovery every Sunday. As in Philadelphia, the Ratigan case was concealed from the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocesan review board. Finn only gave a copy of the evidence to the police in May 2011; he returned the original laptop to Ratigan’s family, who destroyed it. Additional evidence was gathered by police, as described in the criminal charges filed on May 19, 2011. Ratigan had been producing and using child abuse images at least since 2004, the year he was ordained, and such images were found on a computer that he used in his assignment at St. Mary’s in St. Joseph, where he worked in 2005-2009. The petition is aimed at preventing diocesan retaliation against the whistleblower, Principal Julie Hess. Such retaliation has happened before. In June 2009, Cardinal Francis George OMI of Chicago fired Barbara Westrick, a principal who was the whistleblower in the case of convicted pedophile Rev. Daniel J. McCormack.] To: KC Area Catholics I support the principal of St. Patrick School, Julie Hess, and her attempts to protect the children there. I would consider the termination or reprimand of Ms. Hess by the Diocese to be in direct conflict of all that the Catholic Church stands for. The protection of children is central to our beliefs and Ms. Hess did her best to fulfill that obligation. Sincerely, The Undersigned
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