US bishop charged with sheltering clergyman after child porn discovery

A bishop has become the highest-ranking US Catholic indicted on a charge of failing to protect children after he and his diocese waited five months to tell police about hundreds of images of child pornography discovered on a priest’s computer.

Robert Finn, the first US bishop criminally charged with sheltering an abusive clergyman, and the Kansas City-St Joseph Catholic Diocese have pleaded not guilty to one count each of failing to report suspected child abuse.

Prosecutor Jean Baker said Bishop Finn and the diocese were required under state law to report the discovery to police because the images gave them reason to believe a child had been abused.