Bishop Robert W. Finn has used the occasion of the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron saint of journalists, to upbraid Kansas City-based National Catholic Reporter, which is located in his diocese. The critique he published in his diocesan newspaper says not a word about the important service to the church that NCR offered through courageous coverage over nearly three decades of the existence and cover-up of clergy sexual abuse.This comes as no surprise from Finn, who continues to remain as bishop even after his conviction in September, as NCR put it, of "criminally shielding a priest who was a threat to children." Bishop Finn is in no position to level accusations against NCR. It's not surprising that many have called for his resignation; his conviction makes it impossible for him to do his job credibly.

Paul Moses is the author, most recently, of The Italian Squad: The True Story of the Immigrant Cops Who Fought the Rise of the Mafia (NYU Press, 2023). He is a contributing writer. Twitter: @PaulBMoses.

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