In an unprecedented move, Cardinal Sean O’Malley has called for action against a fellow American bishop convicted of covering up a sexually abusive priest.
“It’s a question the Holy See needs to address urgently ... There’s a recognition of that from Pope Francis,” O’Malley tells “60 Minutes” tonight.
O’Malley, considered very close to Pope Francis, stated the church had to address the case of Bishop Robert Finn of the Kansas City-St Joseph Missouri diocese.
O’Malley stated “We’re looking at how the church could have protocols on how to respond when a bishop has not been responsible for the protection of children in his diocese”
Finn pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor and received two years probation over two years ago after not informing police that one of his priests was a suspect in abusing minors.
Finn admitted he waited six months before telling police about the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, whose computer files had hundreds of obscene pictures of young girls taken in and around churches where he worked.
Finn ordered him to undergo psychiatric evaluation and then sent him to a convent under orders to have no contact with children. Church officials reported Ratigan's actions on May 11, 2011 after learning that he was still taking lewd pictures of children.
Ratigan was later sentenced to 50 years in prison on child pornography convictions.
A Canadian archbishop was sent by the Vatican to investigate Finn’s actions, an unprecedented move, and now O’Malley’s comments seem to set the stage for Finn’s removal.
O’Malley told "60 Minutes" interviewer Norah O’Donnell that under its "zero tolerance” policy Bishop Finn would not be allowed near a school in a Catholic diocese.
O'Malley is considered a key figure in the Pope Francis inner circle. He advises the pope on church reform as one of eight members of the Council of Cardinals. He is also the leader of the church's commission on abuse, which includes victims, psychological and human rights experts.
Boston Archdiocese spokesman Terrence Donilon said the interview “focuses on the Cardinal’s ministry as archbishop, his background working with immigrants, issues such as clergy sexual abuse and the many opportunities and challenges facing the Church in 2014.”
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