Kansas City Diocese apologizes to victims of priest abuse

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has apologized to victims of priest sexual abuse and invited them to a series of prayer services, but some say the move is inadequate and does little to prevent abuse.

The diocese sent letters last week from Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann and placed local ads to let those "directly or indirectly affected by any form of sexual abuse" know about the services, which began Wednesday. Naumann, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, has been the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese's apostolic administrator since the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn.

Finn also issued a public apology in 2008 to abuse victims as part of a $10 million settlement. But last year, when victims asked for a similar apology to be part of a $9.95 million settlement in another case, the diocese refused, The Kansas City Star reported.

Finn resigned in April, three years after he was convicted of failure to report suspected child abuse by a now-imprisoned priest.

Diocesan spokesman Jack Smith said Naumann sent the letters to dozens of plaintiffs in the sexual abuse lawsuits that resulted in the multimillion-dollar settlements in 2008 and 2014.

Naumann is scheduled to lead the first service at St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Other services will follow over the next 10 months around the diocese until a service June 26 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The services are in connection with the Jubilee Year of Mercy, announced earlier by Pope Francis.

"I am so sorry for what happened to you, and I realize that no words are likely to heal your wounds," Naumann wrote. "As a small step towards reconciliation, I apologize on behalf of all the priests of this Diocese and all the members of our Catholic Church for the terrible hurt you have suffered at the hands of someone entrusted with your spiritual care."

Kansas City lawyer Rebecca Randles, who represented dozens of plaintiffs in lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests, said some of her clients see the move by the diocese "as the first major breakthrough since before the cases began."

"All of these survivors are Catholics," she said. "And so having the head of their church reach out to them in a pastoral manner is wonderfully healing, and it should have happened a long time ago."

But she said others are "much more cynical about it."

"What are they going to do to actually make sure that children are safe?" Randles said.

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