Locals Sound off on Sex Abuse Verdicts
By Hilary Bentman
Bucks County residents had a lot to say about the verdicts in two landmark Pennsylvania trials involving child sex abuse. Justice was served in the Jerry Sandusky case, they said Saturday, a day after the former Penn State assistant football coach was convicted on 45 of 48 counts that he sexually assaulted 10 boys. But the mixed outcome in the priests’ trial, also announced Friday, didn’t make them so happy. “Dude is a pig,” Huntingdon Valley resident Kate Lewyckyj said about Sandusky, who is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison. “Hope he goes to jail forever.” In the priests’ trial, a jury agreed with prosecutors that Monsignor William Lynn, 61, helped keep predators in the priesthood by moving them to different parishes under the guise that the transfers were health related. Lynn was found guilty of child endangerment, making him the first U.S. church official to be convicted of a crime for how he handled sex abuse allegations. He faces up to seven years in prison. But Lynn was acquitted of conspiracy and another count of child endangerment. Meanwhile, the jury could not reach a verdict for his co-defendant, the Rev. James Brennan, who was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy in 1999. “I’m disappointed,” said Gary Nickerson of Bristol Township, who said he has little faith that this case will push the church to take real action against predator priests. “They have been harboring criminals for years. I was hoping this would be the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Brennan, who has served in parishes in Newtown Township and Lower Southampton, could be retried. Residents couldn’t help but see the stark parallels between the Sandusky case and the priests’ trial. Both cases involved the alleged sexual assault of boys and, in both instances, the accused were men of authority and reverence. And, said residents, both cases involved powerful institutions closing ranks and handling the problems internally. “It was the dance of the lemons,” said Jeffrey A. Smith of Hatboro, referring to the practice of passing bad instructors or teachers on to different jobs. Smith works in risk management. People come to him when they have problems within their organization. He tells them, don’t be a Penn State. “I tell them, ‘Here are all the things that Penn State did wrong,’ ” said Smith. “Don’t be silent. Report it.” The Sandusky case may be far from over. Sandusky, 68, is expected to be sentenced in the next 90 days. Appeals and civil suits are likely to be filed. And shortly after the case went to jurors, lawyers for one of Sandusky’s six children said the adopted son had told authorities that his father abused him. Steve Rogalinski, 50, from Newtown Township, said, “I think (Sandusky) is sick. He needs treatment more than jail. I’m sure the people he hurt feel the opposite.” Rogalinski said he finds the priests to be “more malicious than Jerry Sandusky. They both prey on these people and abuse them. I feel much more anger toward Brennan than Sandusky. These priests are supposed to do God’s work and they totally do the opposite. They totally abuse the power.” In a statement, Penn State praised the accusers who testified and said that it planned to invite the victims of Sandusky’s abuse to participate in a private program to address their concerns and compensate them for claims related to the school. “The university is committed to ensuring that our campuses are safe for children and to being a constructive participant in building greater awareness of child sexual abuse and the practical steps that can be undertaken to prevent, report and respond to such abuse,” said President Rodney Erickson in a statement. Brad M. Jackman, solicitor for the Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services Agency, said, “the obviously correct verdicts in the criminal trial of Jerry Sandusky are significant, but only a part of the disturbing series of events uncovered by this horrific situation. “It is now vital to focus on those who knew or had reason to know of Sandusky’s abusive behaviors and, despite legal, moral and ethical obligations, did absolutely nothing to intercede and to protect the children who were being victimized and those who would be assaulted in the future.” Some residents said they didn’t follow the priests’ trial nearly as closely as the Sandusky trial, which may be explained by the popularity of Penn State football, the timing of the two cases, and the pervasiveness of the Catholic priest scandal. Still, Upper Makefield attorney Marci Hamilton, a leading church/state scholar and sex abuse victim advocate, called the verdict against Lynn “historic and important.” “This is a message for all organizations to protect children, rather than endanger them,” said Hamilton. “We should all be grateful to the survivors who had the courage to come forward and make this prosecution possible.” During the trial, Lynn’s defense attorneys argued that their client was merely a middle manager, and perhaps a fall guy for the archdiocese. Lynn himself, during three grueling days on the stand, mused about a question he was asked: “You want me to answer for the whole Church?” Doylestown resident Carol Wilbur, a Catholic, said this kind of reasoning was reminiscent of the defense strategies used by some Nazis after World War II in their attempt to deflect responsibility for the Holocaust. In a statement released after the verdicts were announced, Archdiocese of Philadelphia officials said it was “a difficult time for all Catholics” and apologized to the victims of clergy sexual abuse. “The lessons of the last year have made our Church a more vigilant guardian of our people’s safety,” the statement read. “The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is on a journey of reform and renewal that requires honesty and hope. We are committed to providing support and assistance to parishioners as they and the Church seek to more deeply understand sexual violence, and to create an environment that is safe and welcoming to all, including past victims.” Staff writers Laurie Mason Schroeder, Christian Menno, Jo Ciavaglia, Dan Perez, and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Hilary Bentman: 215-538-6380; hbentman@phillyburbs.com;
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