Whistle blower sues Kansas City Catholic Diocese

Another lawsuit is being filed against Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sent out an e-mail today saying a "whistle-blower" is suing after being forced out of her job last month due to “her advocacy within the diocese on behalf of victims and changes in policy to prevent future abuses.” This all comes back to the Rev. Shawn Ratigan child-pornography case.

SNAP says Margaret Mata, a grant writer, is suing the diocese “to hold the (church officials) responsible for their retaliation, wrongful discharge and invasion of (her) privacy.”

Here's what SNAP says happened:

In May, Mata initially praised the diocese's response in the Ratigan case. However, Mata later pointed out to diocese spokeswoman Rebecca Summers that some of the diocese's claims in the case weren't accurate. She urged church officials to provide resources to families hurt or concerned about Ratigan's alleged crimes.

A few days later, Mata met "face to face" with Bishop Finn and offered to help, citing her more than 20 years of experience working in offender management and victim advocacy.

But later, diocesan CEO David Malanowski abruptly asked her, “I assume you are Catholic?”

Mata told Malanowski that she attended Catholic schools and is a Baptist. Malanowski ended the meeting. Mata's supervisor then took her business cards and "relieved her of her title” and told her that the move was based upon "risk management.”

In June, Mata's contract came up for renewal, and "the diocese unexpectedly pushed for an unprecedented, harsh and broad 'confidentiality order,' which only one other worker had been asked to sign," SNAP's e-mail says.

The diocese also “reviewed all of Mata’s email” and “discovered private information concerning (her) relatives.” The lawsuit says diocese officials began asking whether Mata or her relatives had ever been abused by a priest, and conducted an "investigation into her private affairs."

In July, Mata wrote her supervisors saying "she faced negative consequences due to her offer of assistance in the Ratigan scandal.” Another employee told Mata that the diocese was trying to push her out the door.

Then in August, Mata's supervisor met her at the airport at 5:55 a.m. Mata was flying to her grandfather's funeral. The supervisor took her computer, claiming she wanted to install virus-protection software on it. When the computer was returned to Mata, "key information had been wiped out and it became clear to her that her email accounts were being monitored."

Mata resigned the following month, citing this “level of distrust and intimidation.”

In a separate lawsuit, 42 abuse victims are suing Bishop Finn for "breach of contract" for failing to follow the terms of a 2008 settlement and for allegedly failing to report allegations of suspected sexual abuse to police. The lawsuit isn't seeking money, only to force the bishop to follow the terms of the settlement.
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