Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of an American bishop who pleaded guilty to failing to report a priest who was a suspected child abuser . Bishop Robert Finn , 62 , offered his resignation under the code of canon law that allows bishops to resign early for illness or some 'grave ' reason that makes them unfit for office . But children 's rights advocates are urging Pope Francis to do much more to deal with clergy who become embroiled in child sex scandals . Resignation : Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Robert Finn who pleaded guilty to failing to report a suspected priestly child abuser . Action : Children 's rights advocates are urging Pope Francis to do much more to deal with clergy who become embroiled in child sex scandals . Finn , who leads the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri , got into trouble after he waited six months before notifying police about the Reverand Shawn Ratigan . Ratigan had a computer containing hundreds of lewd photos of young girls taken in and around churches where he worked . He was eventually sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges . Finn pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failure to report suspected abuse and was sentenced to two years ' probation in 2012 . It has made him the highest-ranking church official in the U.S. to be convicted of failing to take action in response to abuse allegations . Since then , he has faced constant pressure from local Roman Catholics to step down , with some parishioners petitioning Francis to remove him from the diocese . Outrage : Protesters , background left , shout as Rev . Juan Barros , center left , enters the cathedral for the ceremony to assume as bishop in Osorno , southern Chile . Barros was ordained amid protests by sex-abuse victims who accuse him of covering up crimes his mentor Rev . Fernando Karadima whom the Vatican has sanctioned for abusing young boys . Despite a catalog of child sex cases within the catholic church , so far , no U.S. bishop has been forcibly removed for covering up guilty clergy . Anne Barrett Doyle , co-director of the online abuse resource BishopAccountability.org , said while Finn 's resignation was a welcome step - more has to be done . She has called on Francis to publicly state that he was removed for mismanaging the Ratigan case and failing to protect children . She noted that bishops had been allowed to resign under the previous two popes , but that the Vatican has never publicly linked their resignations to mishandling abuse cases . 'We urge Pope Francis to issue such a statement immediately . That would be unprecedented , and it would send a bracing message to bishops and religious superiors worldwide that a new era has begun , ' she said . Meanwhile U.S. victims group SNAP , praised Finn 's resignation as a 'tiny but belated step forward . ' David Clohessy , a spokesman for SNAP said : 'After centuries of abuse and cover-up done in secrecy ... one pope has finally seen fit to oust one bishop for complicity in clergy sex crimes.That 's encouraging . But it 's only a very tiny drop of reform in an enormous bucket of horror . ' Church : The Sacred Heart of Jesus church in Santiago , where Bishop Juan Barros is said by at least three victims to have witnessed sexual molestation . Last fall , The Vatican sent a Canadian archbishop to Finn 's diocese as part of an investigation of his leadership . But until Tuesday , there had been no word about what the pope would do . Pope Francis is facing similar pressure to remove a Chilean bishop , Juan Barros , amid an unprecedented outcry over his appointment because of his longtime affiliation with the Reverend Fernando Karadima , who was sanctioned by the Vatican in 2011 for sexually abusing minors . Karadima 's victims say Barros witnessed their abuse decades ago . But he has denied knowing anything until he read news reports of Karadima 's crimes in 2010 . The Vatican has defended the appointment . In a statement issued by the diocese , Finn said it had been an 'honor and joy for me to serve here among so many good people of faith . ' He asked for prayers for the next bishop . Francis has already tapped Archbishop Joseph Naumann to lead the diocese temporarily until a new bishop is named . Naumann said he prayed 'that the coming weeks and months will be a time of grace and healing for the diocese . ' Earlier this month , members of the pope 's sex abuse advisory commission came to Rome in an unscheduled session to voice their concern about Chilean bishop Juan Barros . They are concerned that his longtime affiliation with the Reverend Fernando Karadima - who was sanctioned by the Vatican in 2011 for sexually abusing minors - makes him unsuitable to head child protection programs .
Pope Francis failed to notify police about a suspected child abuser . He waited months before telling authorities about Reverend Shawn Ratigan . In 2012 , Finn plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was given probation . He is now the highest-ranking church official convicted of sex abuse-related charges . Children 's rights advocates have called on Bishop Robert Finn to do even more .