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	Abuse Survivors to Sue Philadelphia Archdioceses over Cover up Conspiracy By Paula Brooks Lez Get Real February 14, 2011 http://lezgetreal.com/2011/02/abuse-survivors-to-sue-philadelphia-archdioceses-over-cover-up-conspiracy/ At a sidewalk news conference later today, attorneys and clergy sex abuse victims will disclose and discuss a new civil lawsuit that charges an ex-priest, one retired and four current Philadelphia Catholic church officials with “conspiring” to conceal child sex crimes by two priests against one boy. According to a press release from The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, the lawsuit will charge that two priests sexually assaulted a boy and that top Catholic officials engaged in a “conspiracy” to hide the crimes. The suit will also say that the Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocese “continues to tolerate and actively conceal the sexual abuse of children.” The suit names retired Philadelphia Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, its current Cardinal, Justin Rigali, and Msgr. William Lynn as defendants, along with the director of the Archdiocese’s Office of Child and Youth Protection, Karen Becker and an archdiocesan “victim assistance coordinator”, Maggie Marshall. Last week, Lynn, a Philadelphia pastor who headed the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s office of clergy from 1992 to 2004, and who was responsible for investigating sexual abuse claims, was indicted by a Grand Jury in Philadelphia on two counts on endangering the welfare of a child. Indicted and arrested along with Lynn, were four priests, who were accused of abusing boys.Three priests are accused of raping one boy between 1998 and 2000; the fourth is accused of raping a 14-year-old boy in 1996. The grand jury report describes in lurid detail the assaults, and underlines evidence that Lynn was fully informed about the priests’ misconduct, yet still covered up for them and exposed more children to the molesting priests. The suit, to be filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, seeks actual and punitive damages of over $50,000.
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