Kansas City Star
Sept. 16, 2011
Bishop Robert Finn, leader of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese, testified this morning before a grand jury investigating the case of a priest already facing state and federal child pornography charges.
Finn, wearing a black suit and clerical collar, entered the Jackson County Criminal Justice Center through the main doors shortly after 8:15 a.m. and began testifying about 9:55 a.m. He left about 1 p.m.
“We’re doing the best we can to cooperate with law enforcement,” Finn said after testifying.
Finn agreed to give jurors any information they requested, said one of the attorneys who accompanied him into the justice center. “He’s hoping to move this matter along so he can get back to his ministry,” Gerald Handley said.
The grand jury began hearing testimony last month in the case involving the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, a Catholic priest charged with child pornography offenses in Clay County and in U.S. District Court. Unlike Finn, some of those testifying last month were kept from the public’s view and did not enter the building through the main doors.
The lineup of grand jury witnesses suggests that the inquiry is focused more on the conduct of diocesan officials than that of the Ratigan.
Those who have testified include diocesan spokeswoman Rebecca Summers and a Kansas City police captain whose opinion diocesan officials sought on a photo Ratigan allegedly took. The police captain also is a member of the diocese’s Independent Review Board, which reviews allegations against priests and makes recommendations to the bishop.
full article at Kansas City Star
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