Published November 20, 2014
A Missouri judge is considering the criminal case against the highest-ranking Catholic official in the U.S. to be charged with shielding an abusive priest, three weeks before it was to go before a jury.
Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph are charged with two counts each of failing to report suspected child abuse to the state.
Their trial was scheduled to start Sept. 24. Finn faces a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine on each count. The diocese could be fined up to $5,000 on each charge.
Instead, a set of stipulated facts negotiated by both sides was presented Thursday to Judge John M. Torrence. He recessed the court until later in the afternoon, when he's expected to rule.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/mo-bishop-faces-bench-trial-in-case-tied-to-abuse