Three years ago, Missouri Bishop Robert Finn was convicted of shielding a priest who took pornographic pictures of girls. Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the embattled church leader's resignation.
"The Holy Father has accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert W. Finn from the pastoral governance of the Dioceses of Kansas City - St. Joseph," read a single-sentence announcement on the Vatican's official website.
Pope Francis's decision is not only rare - it's the first time Francis has taken action against an American bishop who neglected to protect children from pedophiles - it coincides with Finn being the only U.S. Roman Catholic bishop ever convicted for not reporting suspicion of pedophilia.
In December 2010, Finn failed to notify police that a computer technician found child pornography on Shawn Ratigan's laptop. Ratigan, a priest in Finn's diocese, attempted suicide shortly after. Instead of notifying the authorities, Finn sent the priest to a therapist, reassigned him to live in a covenant, and order him to stay away from children.
Ratigan continued taking illicit pictures of girls until second-ranking officer in the diocese Monsignor Robert Murphy contacted law enforcement. Nearly six months after begin given a second chance, he plead guilty to five counts of child pornography and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. In 2012, Finn was placed on two years of court-supervised probation and ordered to start a program to help church members detect child abuse.
"It has been an honor and joy for me to serve here among so many people of faith," Bishop Finn said in a statement release by the diocese. "Please begin already to pray for whomever God may call to be the next Bishop of Kansas City - St. Joseph."
Pope Francis appointed Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann to administer Bishop Finn's diocese but him as permanent successor.
For many, the Pope's decision is a long time coming.
SNAP, the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests, issued a statement saying Finn's resignation is a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
"Protecting predators and endangering kids is a deeply-rooted and long-standing pattern of Catholic hierarchy. It didn't start with one man and won't stop with one man," said David Clohessy, director of the St. Louis SNAP chapter. "There were dozens of church staff who could and should have stopped Fr. Shawn Ratigan's crimes by simply calling 911. But they protected themselves and their jobs by staying silent."
Ann Barrett Doyle, a director for BishopAccountability.org, urged the papal to issue a stern message to religious leaders that "a new era has begun."
Pope Francis is reportedly considering a special commission on sexual abuse cases. Many speculate that it would give instructions on how to punish bishops who committed similar acts to Ratigan's.
The challenge for the papal is to gauge what and how an appropriate punishment would be handed out.
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