Jurors to Hear 20 Priest Sex-Abuse Claims

By Natalie Pompilio
Philadelphia Daily News
February 7, 2012

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/138819714.html

THE JURY can hear how Monsignor William Lynn and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia responded to more than 20 claims of priests sexually abusing children when it considers criminal charges against Lynn and two others next month, a Common Pleas judge ruled yesterday.

Judge M. Teresa Sarmina ruled that jurors needed to have a complete history "to evaluate properly the totality of the circumstances and to be able to make appropriate inferences from that evidence."

The judge's ruling was a win for prosecutors. Lynn's defense attorneys had argued that the other cases should not be allowed because they would unfairly influence the jury.

Lynn, 61, faces conspiracy and child-endangerment charges for allegedly concealing the actions of two priests accused of abusing boys in the 1990s. Lynn was secretary of the clergy from 1992 to 2004.

Of the two priests Lynn is accused of protecting, one, the former Rev. Edward Avery, 69, has been defrocked. The other, the Rev. James Brennan, 48, is on restricted ministry. Both are accused of abusing boys after being transferred by Lynn to parishes with schools.

Jury selection in the case against the three is scheduled to start later this month, with opening arguments to come in late March.

Sarmina noted that while Lynn was secretary of the clergy, he handled hundreds of sexual-abuse allegations against priests, and therefore evidence about his experience is relevant for the state "to attempt to prove that Lynn knowingly protected abusive priests and that he thereby knowingly endangered children, and certainly the two children in this case."

SNAP (Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests) issued a statement saying it was pleased with the judge's ruling.

"In this case especially, it's crucial that jurors see that Monsignor Lynn and other accused wrongdoers weren't aberrations or rogue actors but were in fact acting in a longstanding, carefully choreographed charade," said Barbara Dorris, SNAP's outreach director. "That's the only way justice will be done here."

Contact: pompiln@phillynews.com