Advocate: Lynn Sentence 'Sends Signal' for Abuse Cases
By Patti Mengers
Ten years ago, John Salveson called the resignation of Boston Cardinal Bernard Law in the shadow of hundreds of claims of clerical sexual abuse under his watch, a start in seeking justice for the victims of pedophile priests. "I think it's long overdue. I think it's a good start. What I mean by this, the root of this problem to me is the bishops and cardinals who keep sheltering abusive priests," the Radnor resident said in December 2002. But more members of the hierarchy must be held accountable if the Catholic Church is going to fully address the scandal, insisted the former director of the Philadelphia chapter of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, also known as SNAP. Tuesday, Salveson, who in 2006 founded the Foundation to Abolish Childhood Sex Abuse to lobby for expansion of Pennsylvania's statute of limitations on sexual assault, finally saw part of his prediction realized after learning that a Philadelphia church official was sent to prison for protecting a pedophile priest. "There is no sentence or penalty which will restore the lives of the thousands of children who have been sexually abused by Catholic clergy for decades while their superiors chose to protect their church rather than their children," said Salveson in a prepared statement on behalf of his foundation. "However, we believe the severity of today's sentence is appropriate and sends an unmistakable signal that those who put themselves and their institutions before the safety of children run the risk of major consequences." Salveson was referring to the Rev. Monsignor William Lynn, who was sentenced Tuesday by a Philadelphia judge to three to six years in jail. On June 22, Lynn was convicted of child endangerment in connection with a victim of former Haverford resident Edward Avery, a priest who was defrocked in 2006 because church officials found allegations of sexual abuse against him credible. The 61-year-old monsignor, who formerly was parochial vicar at St. Katharine of Siena Parish in the Wayne section of Radnor, served as secretary of clergy from 1992 to 2004, mostly under former Philadelphia Archbishop Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua. "Monsignor Lynn's conviction in June of child endangerment sent a clear message to the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church that their days of operating above and beyond the law are coming to an end," said Salveson. Allegedly abused by a priest over seven years in the late '60s and early '70s in a Long Island parish, Salveson reported the priest to the local bishop in 1980. But his alleged abuser continued to serve in parishes until 1989, when Salveson distributed letters on the steps of the church where the priest was on staff, informing parishioners of the abuse. The priest was finally removed from parish work, but then opened a counseling practice, according to Salveson. His alleged abuser and the bishop to whom Salveson reported the abuse are both now deceased. Contact: pmengers@delcotimes.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.