No House Arrest for Cardinal’s Aide Convicted of Endangering Children

By Jon Hurdle
New York Times
July 5, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/us/church-official-must-stay-in-jail-until-sentencing.html?_r=1

A former cardinal’s aide, found guilty last month of endangering children, must remain in jail until he is sentenced, instead of being released on house arrest.

On Thursday, Judge M. Teresa Sarmina ruled that Msgr. William J. Lynn, 61, of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, should not be given special treatment, essentially agreeing with prosecutors who said others convicted of a similar felony crime would not be allowed to remain at home pending a sentencing hearing, as his defense team had requested. He is the first senior official in the Romanc Catholic Church in the United States to be convicted of covering up sexual abuses by priests under his supervision.

Monsignor Lynn, who faces up to seven years in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced July 24, a date that was moved up by Judge Sarmina on Thursday from the previously scheduled date of Aug. 13.

On June 22, after a three-month trial, a jury conviced Monsignor Lynn of a single count of endangering children, but acquitted him of conspiracy and a second count of endangerment.

Prosecutors and victims rights groups have called the conviction of Monsignor Lynn, a former adviser to Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, a watershed moment in the abuse scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church in recent years. Victims advocates have long argued that senior church officials should be held accountable for concealing evidence and transferring predatory priests to unwary parishes.



Monsignor Lynn served as secretary for clergy for the 1.5 million-member archdiocese from 1992 to 2004, recommending priest assignments and investigating abuse complaints. Prosecutors presented evidence that Monsignor Lynn had not acted strongly to keep suspected molesters away from children, let alone to report them to law enforcement. The jury found him not guilty on two other charges.