KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bishop Robert Finn has resigned as leader of the Kansas City-St. Joseph Roman Catholic Diocese. The Vatican announced Finn's resignation early this (TUE) morning. Finn became the highest-ranking U.S. church official convicted of a crime related to the church's child sexual abuse scandal after he waited six months to report a diocese priest suspected of abuse. The Vatican appointed Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann as Apostolic Administrator of the Missouri diocese until a replacement for Finn is appointed. Naumann will retain his duties in the Kansas diocese. Finn was convicted in September 2012 of one misdemeanor for failing to report child abuse suspicions. A priest in Finn's diocese, Shawn Ratigan, was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges.
