Daily Mail
February 10, 2011
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1355692/2-priests-priest-ex-school-teacher-charged-sexually-assaulting-2-boys.html
Two priests, a former priest and a former Catholic school teacher have been charged with sexually assaulting two young boys in Philadelphia, it has emerged.
A former church official has also been charged with child endangerment.
Rev Charles Engelhardt, 64, former priest Edward Avery, 68, and former sixth-grade school teacher, Bernard Shero, 47, were charged with the alleged rape and sexual assault of the same boy between 1998 and 2000 in St. Jerome parish, the Inquirer reported.
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| Abuse: Former priest Edward V Avery, left and Rev Charles F Engelhardt have been charged with sexually assaulting the same boy | |
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| Charged: Rev James J Brennan, left, and former sixth-grade teacher Bernard G Shero, right, were also charged with rape and related crimes according to a grand jury report | |
The boy was just 10 years old when the alleged assaults first took place.
Rev James Brennan, 47, has been charged with raping and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy in 1996.
Monsignor William Lynn, secretary for Clergy for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has also been charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
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| Blind eye: Monsignor William Lynn, former secretary of clergy, was also charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child |
The charges comes after an investigation by the Grand Jury.
Speaking at a press conference today, Philadelphia district attorney, Seth Williams, said Lynn 'supervised two of the abusers...knew they were dangerous and chose to expose them to new victims.'
Lynn oversaw all priests' personnel issues, which included: advising Cardinal Justin Rigali and his predecessor, Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, on the hiring of priests; interviewing people who had reported sexual abuse by a priest; and overseeing clergy who were known to have abused children, it was revealed.
'I recognise all the good that the Roman Catholic Church has done and continues to do in the world and in Philadelphia,' said Mr Williams.
'But I am sworn to uphold the law and I will do whatever is necessary and within my power to protect children.'
Lynn had been a pastor of St Joseph's Church, Dowingtown since 2004. Almost 4,000 families are part of the parish.
A woman whose daughter attends the adjacent school told The Inquirer: 'We love this school. I'm absolutely stunned; we totally trusted him.'
Mr Williams hit out at the church saying it needed to 'put the protection of children ahead of protection from scandal'.
'The Grand Jury believes that many priests, dozens of them, have remained in active ministry despite solid, credible, allegations of abuse,' he said, calling for the church too remove all 'credibly accused priests' from the ministry.
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