KANSAS CITY (MO)
KMBC

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County’s prosecutor wants a jury to decide whether a Kansas City bishop was required by Missouri law to tell police about suspected child pornography found on a priest’s laptop computer.

Bishop Robert Finn and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph were charged in October with failing to report suspicions of child abuse against the Rev. Shawn Ratigan after a diocese computer technician found disturbing photos on the priest’s computer, including a series of a young girl with her genitals showing, prosecutors said.

Ratigan is facing state and federal child pornography charges. He has pleaded not guilty to all of them.

The Kansas City Star reported Finn’s lawyers were seeking to have the misdemeanor charges against Finn dismissed because the bishop isn’t the diocese’s designated reporter of child abuse, thus had no legal duty to report suspicions to state authorities.