In Kansas City: Nothing to see here (but an indicted bishop)

In the continuing saga of the repulsive tale of Father Shawn Ratigan in Kansas City, Missouri comes a disturbing, if not surprising, approach to the recent indictment of the diocesan bishop, Robert Finn, on charges of failing to report child sexual abuse [1], a misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $1,000 and a year in prison.

Yesterday's New York Times story [1] on the matter, however, notes that few pastors are speaking about the case from the pulpit. Says the pastor of the parish where Ratigan is alleged to have photographed children in a pornographic manner: "As your pastor, I wish I could make this all go away." I think they call that "denial."

Denial is, perhaps, understandable, but not, I think, the best way to approach this situation. The Times story includes a young couple that no longer attends church because their young daughter attends the school where Ratigan served as pastor; she could have been one of his unknowing vicitms. How many others are lost to the Catholic Church because of this scandal?

I recently spoke with a long-time friend who, it turns out, suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a priest as a teenager. The message from that friend: The church (bishops, priests, and people) still don't get "it"--don't get the profound suffering of victims, the permanent damage this violation of trust entails, the lifelong effects on self-confidence and ability to trust others. We--all of us--focus first on forgiveness rather than justice rightly understood, which includes truthfulness, determination of guilt or innocence, and appropriate penalties.

I have argued (most recently in my August column [2]) that Finn and other bishops who have failed in the matter of sexual abuse should resign; in this case Finn should at least step aside as bishop until the legal matter of his indictment is resolved--and resign permanently if found guilty. Priests accused of misconduct are required to do no less.

Related: The buck stops where? Sexual abuse and the bishops [2]