KANSAS CITY (MO)
Fox 4
[with video]
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For years Catholics around the metro have signed petitions to have their voices heard about the hurt they feel with Bishop Robert Finn as head of the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
With the help of a former priest who has expertise in canon law, that’s the church law, they hope letters sent to Rome will make their way to Pope Francis. He has the authority to ask for Bishop Finn to step down.
When Bishop Finn was convicted in 2012 for failing to report a priest involved in child pornography, it was viewed as a victory for some victims. However, the guilty plea did not force the bishop step down as head of the diocese as some had hoped.
“There’s been no discipline or retribution from within the church structure, and yet he allowed children to continue to be abused after he knew he didn’t report,” former victim advocate Jeanne Christensen said.
There are more than 100,000 people who have signed a petition calling for Bishop Finn to step down. So far, that pressure has not pushed the bishop out.
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