Robert Finn (bishop)

On July 7, 1979, Finn was ordained a priest by Bishop John Nicholas Wurm for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis at All Souls Parish Church. After his ordination, Finn was named as associate pastor of two parishes in the archdiocese. He was later appointed to the faculty of Saint Francis Borgia Regional High School in Washington, Missouri, where he taught from 1983 to 1989. During those years, he lived in residence and served as part-time pastoral associate in area parishes.

In 1989, Finn received a Master of Education Administration degree from Saint Louis University and was appointed administrator of St. Dominic High School in O'Fallon, Missouri. During his tenure at St. Dominic's, he assisted the pastors of area parishes. He served the St. Dominic High School community until 1996.

In 1996, Finn was appointed director of continuing formation of priests and, in 1999, while continuing as CFP Director, he was named editor of the St. Louis Review, the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis.

Finn was named by Pope John Paul II as a chaplain to his holiness in August 2003, upon the recommendation of the Archbishop Justin Rigali. Finn served in several other capacities including chairman of the archdiocesan Committee on the Diaconate. Finn served as pastor of Our Holy Redeemer Parish in Webster Groves, Missouri, prior to being appointed the coadjutor bishop of Kansas City.

In May 2011, Finn apologized for his failure to act in a more timely manner in the case of a priest accused of engaging in inappropriate behavior with children. Finn told reporters that he failed to read a letter sent to the diocese a year earlier (May 2010) by a Catholic elementary school principal who was reporting numerous instances of inappropriate behavior. Finn's admission came five months after the diocese discovered inappropriate pictures of children on the Reverend Shawn Francis Ratigan's computer, and a week after the priest was arrested on child pornography charges.[4][5]

On June 9, 2011, Finn appointed former U.S. Attorney Todd P. Graves to conduct an independent investigation of diocesan policies and procedures used to address sexual misconduct by church personnel, including Ratigan. Graves was the national co-chairman of the U.S. Justice Department's Child Exploitation Working Group. Finn also announced the appointment of an independent public liaison and ombudsman.[6] In the report issued in September 2011, Graves said the key finding of the investigation was "that Diocesan leaders failed to follow their own policies and procedures for responding to reports" of sexual abuse by clergy.[7]

In September 2014, the Vatican initiated an investigation into Finn's tenure as bishop, conducted by Archbishop Terrence Prendergast at the request of Pope Francis. The director of SNAP called the investigation "overdue".[13]

Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the leader of a church commission on child abuse cases, criticized Finn's actions in an interview with the television news program 60 Minutes. O'Malley said that Finn's conviction for failing to report suspected child abuse would disqualify him from teaching Sunday school in the Archdiocese of Boston. "It's a question that the Holy See needs to address urgently," O'Malley said.[14]

On April 21, 2015. the Vatican announced that Finn had resigned from the Diocese of Kansas City .[15] In 2016, Finn became chaplain of the School Sisters of Christ the King Convent in Lincoln, Nebraska. He offers mass, hears confessions, and serves as a spiritual advisor for over 30 nuns.[16] As of July 2018, he has largely limited himself to this role, but has made occasional public appearances.[17]

In August 2005, Finn encouraged use of the Tridentine mass in his diocese. This was in accord with indult provisions established during Pope John Paul II's tenure. Finn also welcomed the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest to the diocese to celebrate mass at St. Patrick's Oratory, the oldest church in Kansas City, Missouri.[18][19]

In a pastoral letter published in the October 24, 2008, issue of the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Key, Finn referenced the upcoming 2008 US presidential election:

"Our Catholic moral principles teach that a candidate’s promise of economic prosperity is insufficient to justify their constant support of abortion laws, including partial-birth abortion, and infanticide for born-alive infants. Promotion of the Freedom of Choice Act is a pledge to eliminate every single limit on abortions achieved over the last thirty-five years. The real freedom that is ours in Jesus Christ compels us, not to take life, but to defend it."[20]