KC area bishop says he has regrets in priest case

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The bishop of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Catholic Diocese says he regrets not responding to warnings about a priest who accused of possessing child pornography.

Bishop Robert Finn also said Friday that the diocese received a memo last May alleging troubling interactions that the Rev. Shawn Ratigan had with children. Ratigan has pleaded not guilty to possessing child pornography.

The Kansas City Star reports that the principal of St. Patrick School in Kansas City wrote the memo warning diocesan officials that parents and teachers were concerned about Ratigan's behavior.

Finn said that last year he received a verbal summary of the memo and of a meeting that a diocese official had with Ratigan. Finn said he should have asked to read the memo himself.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com