Thursday, July 14, 2011

Attorney: KC Catholic Diocese violated child pornography laws

The faithful in the diocese of Kansas City were shocked when a local priest, Fr. Shawn Ratigan, was arrested after large amounts of child pornography were found on his computer by a technician. The pornography included "up skirt" photos of little girls in his parish. It then turned out the diocese was warned about him by a letter from the principal of a Catholic school. That shocking letter evidently had no effect.. Bishop Finn expressed surprise at the time of Ratigan's arrest and said he was "ashamed" after more facts were made public.

The latest devlopement is a lawsuit described in a recent report :


The Kansas City Catholic Diocese is defending itself against a groundbreaking lawsuit involving the alleged distribution of child pornography.

The attorney representing a family suing the Kansas City Catholic Diocese says this is the first time that someone has sued the Catholic Church for violating federal child pornography laws.

"The (federal) law has pretty severe penalties for anyone who holds or views or otherwise distributes any kind of pornography. And we believe that the allegations against the diocese fall clearly and firmly within (the federal) law," attorney Rebecca Randles told KCTV's Stacey Cameron.

Bishop Robert Finn, who oversees the Kansas City diocese, citing the pending lawsuit repeatedly declined requests from KCTV5 Investigator Stacey Cameron to discuss the case.

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