By Paula Brooks
Lez Get Real
March 15, 2011
http://lezgetreal.com/2011/03/roman-catholic-church-official-charged-with-abuse-covering-up-goes-to-court-in-philadelphia/
[with video]
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For the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, a senior church official has appeared in court on criminal charges of covering up the activities of predator priests, as Monsignor William J. Lynn, vicar of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004, three other priests and a Catholic school teacher appeared in a packed Philadelphia courtroom Monday.
Lynn appeared before District Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes wearing his priestly collar to say he planned to plead not guilty.
Lynn, 60, who served as Secretary of Clergy for the archdiocese between 1992 and 2004, was responsible for recommending and managing assignments for priests throughout the region, and was indicted last month on two counts of endangering the welfare of children, after a grand jury found that Lynn knowingly allowed dangerous priests to continue in the ministry in roles where they had access to children.
The other priests, James Brennan, 47, Edward Avery, 68, and Charles Engelhardt, 64 and the teacher, Bernard Shero, 48, are all charged with all charged with sodomizing and raping children trusted to their care.
Last Friday, the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office added conspiracy charges against Lynn and the others.
The same grand jury that had indicted Lynn and the others also accused the archdiocese of protecting itself rather than the victims and found that more than 30 priests have remained in ministry in Pennsylvania despite solid, credible allegations of abuse.
Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, had initially challenged that claim. However, on March 8, the archdiocese announced that it was placing 21 priests on administration leave at the recommendation of former child abuse prosecutor Gina Maisto Smith, who was retained by the archdiocese as counsel in the case. The archdiocese is paying for all of the legal bills for Lynn.
Last week, a support group for survivors of clergy sexual abuse also released a document that it claims shows the Philadelphia Archdiocese tried to hide abuse.
Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said she was shocked to learn about the document she said the archdiocese asked victims to sign.
"We haven't seen anything like it before," Blaine said. "We've experienced many times where church officials have tried to convince us as survivors that it would be better if we did not go to the police, but it's the first time we've actually seen some kind of a document that the church officials are trying to get victims to sign."
The "Prohibition to Release Information" form that SNAP claims came from the church, prohibits the church from releasing information to law enforcement officials about abuse claims against clergy, unless mandated by law or court order.
In the past there have been four major cases in Boston, Cincinnati, Phoenix and Manchester, NH where prosecutors began criminal investigations into high-ranking church officials. However, according to BishopAccountablity.org all of these investigations were stopped short and no charges were ever brought against any of those officials.
If convicted on all the charges, Lynn could face up to 14 years in prison.
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