Articles Posted in Sexual Abuse

Chicago priest abuse attorneys are taking note that a grand jury in Missouri has indicted Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for not taking steps to notify authorities about child pornography discovered on a priest’s computer. The Bishop and the diocese pled not guilty to the charge of failing to report suspected child abuse, a misdemeanor, according to USA Today.

This criminal charge makes Finn the highest ranking Catholic official in the United States to be charged with trying to cover-up possible sex abuse of minors by a priest. Under Missouri law, church officials are required to report any form of suspected child abuse.

The indictments come from a grand jury convened in Jackson County after the U.S. Department of Justice charged Rev. Sean Ratigan earlier this year with child pornography possession. The prosecutor handling the case has stated that the fact that the charge is a misdemeanor should not lessen the importance of this case. The Bishop could face up to a year in prison and a $1000 fine. The highest fine for a corporation is $5000.

A spokesperson from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has stated that this is the first time they can recall a Bishop being indicted on this type of charge. The charge also represents a major setback for the Vatican in their effort to try to put sex abuse scandals behind them, according to the Washington Post.

According to the indictment issued on October 6, the Bishop and diocese had reasonable cause to believe that the Rev. sexually abused children.

The Post is also reporting that by 12/16/2010 school officials have notified supervisors of concerns about the Priest’s actions with children, and church officials located hundreds of photos of children, some sexual in nature, on his computer. Finn has reportedly admitted that he was told of the inappropriate photos last year.

But despite this knowledge, the church did not report to local authorities until May 2011, according to prosecutors. That same month the priest was charged with possession of child porn.

It has not reported if Ratigan continued to have ongoing contact with children during the period of time where the Bishop and diocese failed to report the suspected sexual abuse to local police.

CBS News is reporting that an internal memo was written in May of 2010 stating that several people had complained about Rev. Ratigan taking pictures of children, allowing them to sit on his lap and reach into his pocket for candy. This memo was reportedly given to a Monsignor, who also served as the diocese’s vicar general. The Monsignor then talked to Ratigan about setting appropriate boundaries with children, and then allegedly gave the Bishop a summary of the memo and his meeting with the priest.

CBS goes on to report that months later a computer technician working on the priest’s laptop found the inappropriate images of children, most of them fully clothed but focusing on the crotch area. There was also a set of photos of a 2 to 3-year-old girl with her genitals exposed.

The computer was turned over to the diocese, and church officials allegedly failed to report the collection of photos to the police, and the laptop was actually later returned to a relative of the priest.
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Chicago sex abuse attorneys at our firm are taking note that the nation’s largest pediatricians’ group has released their first policy on protecting children from sexual abuse by healthcare professionals in response to a disturbing case in Delaware where a pediatrician filmed himself molesting his young patients.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a number of guidelines outlining how both parents and professionals should conduct themselves in identifying and protecting against sexual abuse, the Associated Press reported. The academy’s report states that literature regarding the sexual abuse of pediatric patients by providers is sparse, and studies involving abuse between doctors and adult patients are used to provide context on the issue.

The policy says that all medical and health care staff involved in the care of children should be screened for past allegations of abuse, including checking with previous employers and consulting criminal and child abuse registry background checks. These measures cannot be relied on, however, as an estimated less than 1% of child molesters have criminal records. Institutions need to have procedures in place for the reporting, managing, and investigating of potential abuses so legitimate concerns are not overlooked.

The policy also stresses that healthcare institutions need to make it known that the reporting of potential abuses or misconduct is absolutely mandatory, even if the person is not sure such conduct is taking place. It says only two-thirds of cases where a colleague suspect another colleague gets reported, and staff should be made aware that such under-reporting will not be condoned.

Professionals also need to inform parents on their right to chaperone examinations of their young children, and be trained on how to conduct themselves while performing particularly sensitive examinations. They also must explain to parents exactly what they are doing and the reason it is necessary.

The policy warns that incidents of past sexual abuse can lead to an individual’s emotional, behavioral, cognitive, social, and general health impairment. Sexual abuse correlates with an increased frequency of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, poor self-esteem, eating disorders, delinquency, and suicidal tendencies. If parents are aware of any abuse, or suspect potential abuse, they should seek the proper authority immediately. This includes the management of the particular institution, local authorities, or state authorities, depending on how sure the parent is of the misconduct, and how serious the misconduct is.

According to the Associated Press, the former pediatrician who necessitated these policy guidelines was convicted last June on 14 counts of first-degree rape and five counts each of second-degree assault and sexual exploitation of a child. The prosecution alleged that the man recorded himself committing the sex crimes against more than 80 victims, most of who were female toddlers. The policy itself referenced the matter, stating that it served as a reminder that some people in the pediatric profession use their position of authority and trust to take advantage of young children.

After alerting the appropriate authorities and providing for the health and safety of their child, parents of abused children can seek advice from an Illinois personal injury attorney to see what legal remedies they have. Traumatic experiences such as this can stick with a child for the rest of their lives, and making sure they have the means to seek the professional help they require to work through their issues can make a positive difference.
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A new study that is been released by several victims groups is reporting that 60 percent of Chicago Roman Catholic parishes have had a priest at some point that was accused of sexually abusing a minor, according to the Chicago Breaking News Center. The study was released by such groups as Voice of the Faithful, African-American Advocates for Victims of Clergy Sexual Abuse and the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Barbara Blaine, who is the founder and president of SNAP, is encouraging victims to speak up, and is asking victims to come forward and get help, contact police and expose predators, and to protect children and start the healing process.

The groups’ study found sex abuse accusations in the Chicago area against 97 priests from the years 1917 through 2009. 65 of the allegations have been reportedly confirmed by the Archdiocese of Chicago, while 32 other accusations were found in the news and in lawsuits.