A judge in Kansas City , Missouri , has sentenced a Catholic bishop to two years on probation for failure to report suspected child abuse , officials said Thursday . Bishop Robert W. Finn , 59 , is the highest-ranking Catholic official to be convicted during the church 's long sexual abuse scandal . Finn wo n't serve any jail time or pay a fine , the Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney 's office said . The misdemeanor charge had a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of as much as $ 1,000 . One other misdemeanor against the bishop and two against Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph were dropped . The case stemmed from the diocese 's slow dealing with Shawn Ratigan , a priest from Independence , Missouri , who pleaded guilty in August to five charges of child pornography . Missouri priest accused of taking sexually explicit photos of kids . Prosecutors said it took nearly five months for church officials to notify police that disturbing images of children had been found on Ratigan 's computer . During that time Ratigan continued to work for the church . `` I truly regret and am sorry for the hurt these events have caused , '' Finn said , according to CNN affiliate KCTV . Terms of Finn 's probation include starting a $ 10,000 fund for sexual abuse counseling and mandatory training for church officials on how to report abuse . `` We can be assured now that if an allegation of child abuse comes to the attention of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph , there will be no hesitation to report it immediately to the proper authorities , '' Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker said in a written statement . The case was tried by a judge instead of by jury because prosecutors wanted to protect the young victims ' anonymity . Kansas City bishop indicted on child endangerment charge .
Bishop is highest-ranking Catholic official sentenced during sex abuse scandal . Robert Finn failed to immediately report a priest involved in child pornography . The priest , Shawn Ratigan , pleaded guilty in August . Trial by judge protected the children from having their names disclosed .