Prosecutors Not Yet Finished with Pa. Monsignor

The Newsworks
May 29, 2012

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/the-feed/item/39159-prosecutors-not-yet-finished-with-pa-monsignor

A Roman Catholic church official is due back on the stand for a third day today when his child-endangerment trial resumes in Philadelphia.

Monsignor William Lynn was on the stand last week for two days of grueling cross-examination about how he handled abuse complaints.

Prosecutors say Lynn is responsible for the archdiocese's failure to remove suspected predators from ministry, and report them to police.

Lynn argues that he did more than his predecessors--or his archbishop--to try to address the problem, but says he had limited authority as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004.

He says Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua prevented him from doing more. Bevilacqua died in January.

The 61-year-old Lynn faces up to 21 years in prison if convicted of all counts.