The Vatican has announced the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St Joseph. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Vatican said that "the Holy Father has accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert W Finn from the pastoral governance" of his diocese. On Wednesday, the Vatican said that the Pope had appointed Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City as the apostolic administrator of the diocese. Bishop Finn was convicted in September 2012 of failing to report an accusation of child abuse. He waited five months before reporting that explicit images of young girls were found on the computer of one of his priests. He is, to date, the only US bishop to be found guilty of such a charge. As a result of the conviction, Bishop Finn served a two-year suspended sentence and the diocese was fined $1.1 million. The Vatican had previously been criticised for failing to remove the bishop from his post. Yesterday, Marie Collins, an abuse survivor and member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, told CruxNow, she could not understand why Bishop Finn had remained in his position. “I cannot understand how Bishop Finn is still in position, when anyone else with a conviction that he has could not run a Sunday school in a parish," she said. "He wouldn’t pass a background check. I don’t know how anybody like that could be left in charge of a diocese."
12:41 PM
Vatican announces resignation of Bishop Robert Finn
US bishop was convicted in September 2012 of failing to report an accusation of child abuse
Staff Reporter

Already a subscriber? Sign in
5freearticles every month
Continue reading with a free account. No card needed.
- Five free articles every thirty days, on any device you sign in on
- The Catholic Herald newsletter, every morning
- Subscribe whenever you like for everything: every article and the magazine

subscribe to the catholic herald today
Our best content is exclusively available to our subscribers. Subscribe today and gain instant access to expert analysis, in-depth articles, and thought-provoking insights—anytime, anywhere. Don’t miss out on the conversations that matter most.
Subscribe












