KANSAS CITY (MO)
The Kansas City Star
By JUDY L. THOMAS
The Kansas City Star
The legal arena has become a sort of second home to the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese — but hardly a sanctuary.
Bishop Robert Finn’s criminal misdemeanor conviction this past summer for failing to report suspected child abuse involving the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, analysts say, could dramatically undercut the diocese’s defense against mounting civil lawsuits.
More than two dozen pending cases allege offenses ranging from sexual abuse by priests to wrongful death.
The Ratigan case triggered a new wave of litigation.
“Now that Bishop Finn has (been convicted), the diocese is at absolute risk,” said Patrick Wall, a canon lawyer and former Roman Catholic priest who has worked on behalf of clergy sexual abuse victims for a decade.
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