Trial of Highest Ranking Church Official Opens in Philadelphia
Press TV
As one of the most closely-watched sex abuse trials involving the Catholic church kicked off on Monday, a prosecutor charged Monsignor William Lynn was the "keeper of secrets" who failed to protect children and then covered-up the crimes. Lynn, 61, the most senior cleric to go to trial in the wave of sexual abuse cases against the Catholic Church, is charged with endangering the welfare of children and conspiracy for covering up allegations against priests. Lynn served as secretary of the clergy under the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, Philadelphia's archbishop from 1988 to 2003. That made Lynn, in effect, the personnel director for priests. "The defendant is the keeper of secrets," Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Coelho told the jury in Common Pleas Court in her opening statement on Monday. "The protection of children is the furthest thing from defendant Lynn's mind." The Vatican is closely watching the criminal trial involving the sixth largest diocese in the United States, said Terry McKiernan, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, a watchdog group. chicagotribune.com HIGHLIGHTS Monsignor William Lynn supervised more than 800 priests as the secretary for clergy in Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004. He's the first U.S. church official ever charged over his handling of abuse complaints. timesonline.com Prosecutors plan to present evidence that Msgr. Lynn learned in the 1990s of allegations that two priests had engaged in inappropriate conduct with minors, but failed to keep them out of assignments involving contact with children or to inform parishioners of the allegations. The two priests later sexually abused two boys in separate incidents, prosecutors say. online.wsj.com Lynn is on trial with the Rev. James Brennan, who is charged with raping a 14-year-old boy in 1996. Both men entered not guilty pleas before the jury Monday. AP Co-defendant Edward Avery, a defrocked priest, entered a surprise guilty plea Thursday to a sexual assault charge and will serve 2? to five years in prison. Avery also acknowledged that the archdiocese kept him in parish work despite knowing of an earlier complaint lodged against him, a point that could bolster the conspiracy charge against Lynn. AP Victims' advocates say criminal prosecutions are needed because the Catholic Church hasn't done enough on its own to respond to abuse allegations and to prevent future abuse by clergy. "Since there are no consequences for these sex cover-ups internally, the consequences have to be external," said David Clohessy, executive director of Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests. online.wsj.com
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