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	Children of the Heartland National Survivor Advocates Coaliton September 17, 2011 http://nationalsurvivoradvocatescoalition.wordpress.com/editorials/ Our readers know that bishops work hard to give the impression that the scandal of rape and sodomy and child pornography by religious authority figures in the Church is a long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away event. Their past tense language when speaking of the scandal is one of the largest planks in this doggedly worked at platform. We call our readers attention to the children of the heartland where the scandal has reached near white heat proportions. The Diocese is Kansas City – St. Joseph, Missouri and the bishop is Robert Finn. Bishop Finn took over the reins of this diocese in 2005. That’s five year post-Boston and mid-decade from the addition of: zero tolerance” to hierarchical parlance. Five years into his stewardship– and we use the term advisedly – in December 2010 a computer technician on a repair call found child pornography on Father Shawn Ratigan’s computer. This bishop did not inform police until six month later. He didn’t tell the faithful who are the parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, day care staff, teachers, physicians, librarians, or anyone else who comes into regular contact with children in his diocese and he didn’t tell his own review board. Shawn Ratigan was arrested in May 2011. In August he was indicated by a federal grand jury on production, attempted production and possession of child pornography. A school principal delivered a letter to the diocese about Ratigan’s pornography a year before Ratigan was arrested. Finn acknowledges he was given a “summary” of the letter a year before Ratigan was arrested but he didn’t read it until May 2011. The priest attempted suicide in mid-December 2010, was sent to live at a convent and he continued to attend event with children. In addition, Bishop Finn has acknowledged that after he becomes aware of the computer technician’s report in December 2010 he had not “determined a breaking point” at which he would remove Father Ratigan. A civil suit was filed in early August 2011 alleging that Ratigan had ready access to children at birthday parties, weekends spent in private homes of parish families, being the presider with the bishop’s permission at a girl’s First Communion. What followed the May 2011 Ratigan arrest was a “five point plan”, the hiring of an ombudsman for an independent review of the dioceses policies. The investigator, the law firm of Graves Bartle Marcus and Garret recently filed its report saying the diocese failed to follow its own policies in both the case of Shawn Ratigan and another priest Michael Tierney who is accused of sexual abuse of minors in the 1970s. The Graves report, as it has been dubbed, calls for immediately reporting of abuse to law enforcement. We remind our readers again. The principal’s letter was written in May 2010 and the computer technician’s report was in December 2010. Not long ago in a galaxy far, far away. Todd Graves, who led the investigation, has been quoted as saying, “Our investigation identified shortcomings, inaction and confusing procedures, but we believe Bishop Finn and the leadership of the diocese understand the gravity of the issues and take these recommendations seriously.” We believe Mr. Graves is wrong in wishing to give the diocese a new beginning with the same bishop. The Catholics of the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph deserve better – and the children deserve a bishop who does know when a priest endangers children and acts to protect children. We believe Bishop Finn should resign. We believe the time is long overdue that Pope Benedict should have demanded his resignation. Sadly in this culture in the Church that is not the Church’s response. We ask the Catholics in the pews in the Diocese of Kansas City- St. Joseph to consider their own complicity in this tragedy in the heartland if they remain silent and allow business to continue as usual in this diocese. A new report, some staff juggling and new titles and in-house investigations do not solve this problem. Now Catholics in this diocese have knowledge – sad and disappointing knowledge, yes, but knowledge of how their leader acted and thought, nonetheless. With this knowledge, the longer Catholics remain silent and continue to accept Bishop Finn as their leader, the more they become complicit in and with the evil of perpetrating child pornography and child sexual abuse. Catholics can no longer be afforded the luxury of saying they didn’t know, the facts aren’t clear, the bishop who made the mess should be the bishop who cleans it up. But what can Catholics do? Plenty. Here’s some starting places. Encourage anyone who knows of or suspects child abuse to report it to the police. Withhold money from collection baskets. Write on your envelope why you’re withholding the money. Let your pastor know when you’ll begin giving again. Afraid your parish will close without your money and if you continue giving it’s guaranteed it will remain open, read Jason Berry’s latest book, Render Unto Rome, the Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church. Better yet, bring Mr. Berry to your diocese for an open forum. Afraid the lights will go off in your parish if you don’t give. Call your utility company and tell them you want to send money to pay your parish’s electric bill, get the account number, and send your parish donation direct to the utility company. Refuse to do all the regular week in and week out keeping the parish going activities that Catholics do until the bishop resigns. Work with law enforcement to educate parishioners on how to protect children. Use parish facilities to hold these programs. Invite survivors to your parishes and listen to them. Insist a new bishop go to every parish in the diocese where children have been abused and every parish where a priest has been removed and actively and with heart and compassion seek out all survivors. Get started by insisting the current bishop do this. The children of the heartland deserve protection. All of us need to remember that the great mobility of our country means today your children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, stepchildren, the neighbors’ kids are living in one place in the country and tomorrow they can be living in another part of the country. Do you want them to live in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph where a principal’s concerns are ignored and a computer technician knows immediately the right thing to do – but the bishop doesn’t? — Kristine Ward, Chair, NSAC Contact: KristineWard@hotmail.com 937-272-0308
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