Tagged: Bishop Robert Finn

Criminal case against Kansas City Bishop to reach swift end today

The criminal case against the highest-ranking Catholic official in the U.S. to be charged with shielding an abusive priest is poised to reach a surprisingly fast end. Jackson County, Mo., prosecutors and attorneys for Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn have agreed to have a judge hear their case today, weeks ahead of a scheduled jury trial date.

Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph are each charged with a misdemeanor count of failing to report suspected child abuse.

Reporting from KCUR's Dan Verbeck used in this report.

A state grand jury empanelled in Kansas City has  indicted the Bishop and the Catholic Diocese on charges of failing to report child abuse.  It is the first criminal indictment of a Catholic Bishop in the history of child abuse cases in the United States.