The Bishop of Bling and the Bishop Who Should Be Bounced

National Survivor Advocates Coalition
October 24, 2013

http://nationalsurvivoradvocatescoalition.wordpress.com/

[USA Today]

Pope Francis suspended the German bishop, tagged as the bishop of bling, for his lavish spending not only on his mansion but as a way of life including his first class airline ticket to visit the poor in India.

Bishop of Limburg Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, spent a reported $42 million in renovations for his home.

Here’s a link to the story:

[link]

All well and good that he’s been removed – at least temporarily – to go to a hopefully less lavish room and think about what he’s done.

Now, where’s the action on convicted Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City- St. Joseph?

Without action by Pope Francis the message is and will continue to hang heavy in the air if you get caught putting on the ritz you’re bounced, but if you’re convicted of knowledge of and non-reporting as a mandated reporter of a priest who was hip boot deep into child pornography and who is now serving a 50 year sentence in a federal prison for production of child pornography – it’s business as usual?

Germans were outraged about the bishop of bling and showed it.

Where is the outrage for what Bishop Finn failed to do?

Here’s the Pope’s mailing address:

His Holiness, Pope Francis

Apostolic Palace

00120 Vatican City

Or

- send a letter

- or email

- or place a phone call to the Papal Nuncio to the United States. Here’s the contact information:

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano

Apostolic Nunciature

3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Washington,, DC 20008

Telephone: (202)333-7121

Contact: nuntiususa@nuntiususa.org;

- And ask that your letter, email or call be sent or conveyed to the Pope.

Concern about the money is certainly warranted, but then shouldn’t the victims of sexual abuse be on the top of the agenda for protecting the innocent and the vulnerable and seeking justice for the oppressed?

Shouldn’t Bishop Finn be receiving a phone call to make a trip to Rome for a sit down with Pope Francis?

A newspaper headline last month told us that learning how to play the trombone was a practice in humility for Bishop Finn.

Here’s a link to the Kansas City Star’s story:

[link]

Will we have to wait for 76 more trombones of over the top bishops’ spending to grab and sustain headlines before a marching band of outrage overtakes a solo of a “practice in humility” to boot a convicted bishop?

And the beat goes on.

— Kristine Ward, Chair, National Survivor Advocates Coalition (NSAC) KristineWard@hotmail.com