Instead of referring the matter to the review board for a more thorough investigation, Msgr. Murphy initially allowed these answers to satisfy the diocese’s duty for diligent inquiry. The monsignor himself contacted police in May.
Bishop Finn later said he never viewed the photos, but they had been described to him, the report states.
On Oct. 14 the bishop said he had pledged the “complete cooperation of the diocese and accountability to law enforcement” after Fr. Ratigan’s arrest.
“We have carried this out faithfully. Diocesan staff and I have given hours of testimony before grand juries, delivered documents, and answered questions fully,” Bishop Finn said.
Evidence against Fr. Ratigan includes other materials not involved in the diocese’s investigation. Police have confiscated a desktop computer, camera equipment, and a compact disc and flash drive containing pornographic images, KMBC reports.
The priest had previously fallen under suspicion.
In May 2010, St. Patrick School principal Julie Hess presented Msgr. Murphy with a letter detailing parent’s concerns about the priest’s “perceived inappropriate behavior with children” and about some of the priest’s actions which they believed fit the profile of a child predator.
The grand jury indictment cites Bishop Finn’s and the diocese’s previous knowledge of concerns about Fr. Ratigan, the discovery of hundreds of photographs of children on the priest’s laptop, and the priest’s violations of his restrictions.
They “knowingly failed to immediately report such suspected abuse” to the Missouri Children’s Division, the indictment charges.
Gerald Handley, the bishop’s lawyer, said that his client “denies any criminal wrongdoing and has cooperated at all stages with law enforcement, the grand jury, the prosecutor’s office, and the Graves Commission. We will continue our efforts to resolve this matter.”
The case also has bearing on the diocese’s 2008 $10 million settlement with 47 plaintiffs in sex abuse cases. The settlement included an agreement that the diocese would report any suspected abuse to law enforcement agencies.
Bishop Finn asked during Sunday Mass on Oct. 16 for prayers and unity from Catholics, priests, parishes and Catholic institutions. He also pledged an “ever stronger determination” to “form, teach and protect children.”
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Bishop Finn and the diocese will have their next court appearance on Dec. 15.
Kevin J. Jones is a senior staff writer with Catholic News Agency. He was a recipient of a 2014 Catholic Relief Services' Egan Journalism Fellowship.