PHILADELPHIA (PA)
The Associated Press
By MARYCLAIRE DALE, Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors on Monday accused the Archdiocese of Philadelphia of being an “unindicted co-conspirator” in a clergy sex abuse case and said the Roman Catholic Church fed predators a steady supply of children.
The comments came in a key hearing before the March trial of a high-ranking church official, a priest and a former priest.
Monsignor William Lynn, 61, is charged with conspiring with priests and church officials to keep priests accused of sex abuse in ministry and parishioners in the dark.
Common Pleas District Judge M. Teresa Sarmina must decide how much the jury will hear about the archdiocese’s overall handling of sex abuse complaints.
Lynn’s lawyer, Thomas Bergstrom, called it “nutty” and “dangerous” for prosecutors to bring in allegations that came before or after Lynn’s stint as secretary for clergy. Lynn served in that role from 1992 to 2004, most of it under retired Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, who’s now 88 and in failing health.
Assistant District Attorney Mark Cipolletti compared the accused priests to live bombs that Lynn left in a room without defusing.
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