Decision in Bp Finn case expected next week

by Joshua J. McElwee

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jmcelwee@ncronline.org

The Kansas City Star is reporting:

A Jackson County judge said Tuesday that he would rule by the end of next week on whether to dismiss charges against Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic diocese Finn leads.

According to Mark Morris of the Star:

In mid-February, lawyers representing Finn and the diocese filed motions asking Jackson County Circuit Judge John Torrence to dismiss the charges on a variety of issues.

The most contentious question, however, was whether Finn had a legal duty to report Ratigan. His lawyers argued that the diocese had adopted a clear policy designating a response team headed by Finn’s top clerical deputy, Vicar General Robert Murphy, as the body responsible for notifying civil authorities about suspected child abuse within church institutions.

Because the diocese had a “designated reporter” responsible for making such calls, Finn’s legal duty to report had been “extinguished,” the lawyers contended.

Read more here.

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