Father Shawn
Daylife/AP Photo used by permission
A Roman Catholic priest in Missouri has been indicted on federal child pornography charges.
The indictment…charges the Rev. Shawn Francis Ratigan still took sexually suggestive photographs months after church officials removed him from a parish position and ordered him to stay away from children, The Kansas City Star reported. At the time, Easter Sunday this year, officials had not yet reported Ratigan to police.
“When a person who has been placed in a position of trust exploits and victimizes children, he victimizes the entire community,” U.S. Attorney Beth Phillips said. “The indictment today sends a strong message that this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
Ratigan was ordained in 2004. The indictment charges that a year later he took lewd photographs of a 6-year-old girl at St. Joseph Church in Easton, Mo.
Late last year, Ratigan was removed from parish work and transferred to the Vincentian Mission House in Independence, Mo. but his alleged activities were not reported to police until May. The official in the Kansas City diocese in charge of dealing with allegations of clerical abuse was removed in June largely because of his [non] handling of the case.
Time and again the Catholic Church figures they know better than the law of the land – they need not answer to secular civil law.
Phew! Doesn’t look like Bing Crosby. 🙂
Last I heard some years back, the Los Angeles, CA Roman Catholic Church was still stalling as best they could cooperation over prosecution and restitution regarding all the child raping priests they (and so many other arch diocese) had been knowingly sheltering for decades by playing musical chairs with the pedophilic priests whenever they were discovered by the local flock.
This stuff is not news any more…..
Not blogworthy.
#3 Agree on part 1, disagree on part 2.
Part 1: Yup, it’s not news. It’s common practice
part 2: It is blogworthy…..Your hypocrisy and lies need to air out in public!
Moving a suspected pedophile into hiding rather than reporting him to the police smells a lot like criminal conspiracy.
Dallas.
>> Part 1: Yup, it’s not news. It’s common practice
Lots of crime is common practice. Even murder. It’s still news.
Churches would be much better places if we could get the religion out of them.
It seems like TeaDud would be happier reading a blog he has editorial control over.
“Not every post is what I want”
Clear the road. Here comes the waaaaaambulance.
Doesn’t look like a priest. Actually looks like Bill Goldberg. I bet Bill would stomp a mudhole in him though.
The Catholic Church hasn’t learned a damned thing. Time for some higher ups to be charged with conspiracy.
THEN take away their tax exempt status.
Organisations are interesting creatures: when they misbehave is that the best measure of who/what they really are or rather only a measure of their lack of control? I tend to initially allow the presumption of innocense and assume lack of control/an unknowing hierarchy out of touch with its minions.
But, how to tell the difference? When cases like this come to light, what does the organization do in response? Continue to cover it up is rock solid the organization is corrupt pursuant to our worst fears. Rooting out the mismanagement from top to bottom shows an organization taking back control.
You don’t need faith: just look.
Just LOOK!
Awwwwwh Mom—it ain’t pretty.
Yawn! Same old, same old. Roamin’ Cattledicks. Want something newsworthy? How about the judge who was sentenced to 28 years (is that all?) for sentencing kids to private juvenile facilities and taking kickbacks. (Google “cash for kids”)
animby==excellent example of my point. courts are difficult to manage: those in charge severely removed from direct control but on this revelation a long jail term was meted out.
The Catholic response would be to move the judge to a different court.
Yes, 28 years is as good as death: the only other proper verdict.
Someday the feds will crack down on this centuries old child-rape system and start holding parents accountable for turning their children over to child rapers.
Need moar news about the hypersonic glider.
Olo–I liked the link. Is it possible the glider went in the wrong direction and escaped into space? High speed atmosphere re-entry is very tricky.
Also of interest was that refurbed aircraft carrier. Interesting design that hockey stick at the end. That would put a different kind of stress on aircraft and pilot and for me call into question the physics of the launch. airspeed and altitude are a balance. Interesting they went for altitude here.
Nice update on the London riots too. Its one thing to sweep up a mess. Can’t do that with ashes and embers from a burn down. Coming to the USA? I’m with Hannity: yes, I think so–with heavy gun action too.
Wealth disparity—not what any society will endure for long. Just like unpriestly behavior even if they are all homosexuals.
He looks more like my brother in law than a priest. But that’s beside the point.
A 6 year old girl? I hope he gets what he deserves!
On the other hand, under our laws these days, Romeo and Juliette should be considered child porn, along about 1/4 of all classical literature.
I wonder, with all that sex and begetting in the Bible, SOME of it must be underage folks. So, under the silly “zero tolerance” policies, shouldn’t they go after anyone with a Bible for possessing child porn??
#6 I work for a local television news operation in a major market as a photographer, editor, reporter, and technician. I know what “news” is. And most of it is shit. And should NOT be “news”. Including most murders, which, on average, I have to cover about four times a week in Oakland and other East Bay locations.
Murders are not “news” in my opinion. Neither is pedophilia.
The economy is “news”. Earthquakes and tsunamis are “news”. People fucking with people is not. By my bosses don’t agree either.
Have some claimed Mohamud had relations with a child/children? Some have.
Check this out:
http://entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/08/05/racy-photo-shoot-of-10-year-old-model-thylane-blondeau-stirs-controversy/
It’s not just priests, it’s the whole damn society.
#17 I think it is interesting commentary to note that I feel I can tell the poster of certain topics with a high degree of accuracy just by reading the article caption. It gives the impression of bias and pursuing an agenda.
#26 Teadud
You’re on to them now Alfred – they’re clearly skewing the blog posts, just so you’ll leave.
Ratigan is just another in an unending supply of pedophile priests, and the Catholic church produces them faster and protects them more fervently than outside law enforcement can manage.
They should indict Bishop Finn, who hid this known pedophile for more than a year after he got a memo from a school principal, and then after he knew that Ratigan’s computer was full of child porn.
Everyone should push for a Grand Jury investigation to see what else Bishop Finn ignored or overlooked.
When they did an investigation in Philadelphia, the results were horrifying. Google “Philadelphia district attorney grand jury report” and read the first 6 pages to see how sexually perverted these priests were with children.
Its likely Finn has hidden similar pedophiles, but you certainly won’t know until a Grand Jury investigation digs out the truth.
Can anyone tell me why castration is not an option for these dirt sucking mind bending pederasts hiding behind a collar. If I recall correctly Priests can’t touch it. Not their own and especially any body else’s.
Bailiff, whack his Pee Pee.
Off with his head.
Those Medicaid cutbacks are denying Alphie his meds.
When Alphie first visited DU, he was all in favor of “If they’re old enough to bleed, they’re old enough to breed”. No wonder he wants to discuss other things.
Good too see he isn’t considered untouchable by the law because he works for a church.
I still don’t understand why we need the cooperation of the Catholic church. If a priest committed a crime, then prosecute him. If the church hides him to avoid prosecution, the charge the church with accessory to a crime for harboring a fugitive. Why in the hell does law enforcement give any church staff any more immunity than any other citizen?
Catholic priests screwing little girls and boys is not new news but it is still newsworthy. It’s like an car accident, common but you gotta look.
Why do Catholic priests hate the preachings of our lord Jesus? I don’t get it.
Here in the Bay Area, Bernie Ward was an ex priest who became a prominent liberal talk show host on KGO AM radio. He is now in Federal Prison. Two guesses why.
#35 Hmmm. That picture was stuck in Alfie’s brain? Flamer….
#35 TeaDud
Fun being a whiny self absorbed little bitch? I cant figure it, but to each his own I guess.