KANSAS CITY (MO)
National Catholic Reporter
Elizabeth A. Elliott | Sep. 16, 2015
KANSAS CITY, MO.
The Knoxville diocese has removed from a historical display a life-size bronze bust of the founding bishop of its diocese, who admitted to sexually abusing teenage boys in 2002, but photos of the bishop remain in the display and at the local Catholic high school.
Questions about the bust and photo surfaced yesterday when the former chancellor of the Knoxville diocese was named the new bishop of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo.
James Johnston, currently bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, was chancellor in Knoxville in 2004 when advocates for victims of childhood sexual abuse urged the Knoxville diocese to remove a life-size bronze bust of Bishop Anthony O’Connell from a prominent place in the Knoxville chancery and to remove a photo portrait of the former bishop from Knoxville Catholic High School.
The displays weren’t removed, and when asked about the public display of image of the admitted abuser of minors, Johnston told NCR that he found nothing inappropriate with the historical displays.
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