Judge Won’t Dismiss Charge Against US Bishop

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (AP) — A judge has refused to dismiss misdemeanor charges against a Missouri diocese and its bishop, who is the highest-ranking U.S. Roman Catholic official accused of shielding an abusive priest.

Bishop Robert Finn and the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph are charged with failing to report suspected child abuse. Prosecutors say each is a “mandatory reporter” under the state law. Defense attorneys argued the law is unconstitutionally vague and that Finn wasn’t the diocese’s designated reporter.

Judge John Torrence said Thursday the law isn’t vague.

Finn has acknowledged he had been told about child pornography found on a priest’s computer several months before the diocese turned over a disk containing the photos to police.