UNITED STATES
Patrick J. Wall
Think that Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn’s recent guilty plea is a shock to Rome? Alas, for the Holy See, this is nothing new. The real question in the case of the Kansas City Bishop is: What options does the Holy See have available?
From the Roman viewpoint, this is a delicate balancing act. On one side, the Holy See does not want to concede to the “people” demanding the removal of Finn. Why? Because it is reminiscent of 19th century Lay Trusteeism. On the other side, the embarrassment of how Finn handled the Shawn Ratigan case (nearly ten years after the Charter and Norms were promulgated) is scandalous.
Here is a list of management techniques deployed by the Holy See in recent history to snuff out scandal created by Bishops. The management techniques fall into two categories: Geographic and Privation of Office.
Geographic Solution
As a new priest twenty years ago, I saw the results of the Vatican quietly removing Bishop Lawrence Welsh of Spokane, WA.
Larry sexually assaulted a teenage prostitute in Chicago while at a Knights of Columbus convention. Larry was the national Chaplain to the Knights. Chicago police investigated and the Spokane newspaper exposed it.
The Holy See acted quickly, neutralizing the scandal by saying that Welsh was arrested for drunk driving and applying the “Geographic Solution.” Larry was removed as the Ordinary of Spokane and relocated to Saint Paul/Minneapolis.
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