Permanent replacement named for US bishop convicted of failing to report suspected abuser
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. talks to the media during a news conference on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2015 in Kansas City, Mo. The diocese announced on its website Tuesday that Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. will take over from Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who has been overseeing the diocese since Bishop Robert Finn resigned in April. (Joe Ledford/The Kansas City Star via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (The Associated Press)
Pope Francis has appointed a bishop to the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri, permanently replacing a cleric who was convicted of failing to report a suspected child abuser.
The diocese announced on its website Tuesday that Bishop James V. Johnston Jr. will take over from Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who has been overseeing the diocese since Bishop Robert Finn resigned in April.
Finn was found guilty in 2012 of one misdemeanor count of failure to report suspected abuse and was sentenced to two years of probation. He is the highest-ranking church official in the U.S. to be convicted of not taking action in response to abuse allegations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Johnston will be installed in his new post Nov. 4. He currently leads the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Diocese, also in Missouri.