Priest Finds Porn, Lewd Letter in Rectory

By MARYCLAIRE DALE

| Wednesday, Mar 28, 2012 | Updated 3:53 PM

Several Roman Catholic priests have testified in a landmark clergy-abuse case, including one who said Wednesday that he found pornography and a lewd letter to a boy in the rectory.

The priests are prosecution witnesses in the trial of a longtime supervisor in the Philadelphia archdiocese, Monsignor William Lynn. The former secretary for clergy is charged with endangering children by allegedly helping the church cover up abuse complaints.

The Rev. Joseph Okonski told jurors Wednesday that he found a box of pornographic magazines and videos in another priest’s bedroom in 1995.

Okonski said he informed his pastor, who did nothing. But he soon called an archdiocesan official after finding the sexually explicit letter to a seventh-grade boy, which purported to be from a classmate and asked if the boy wanted oral sex.

“You are soooo cute. I have been thinking about you for a long time. … You’re the cutest in our grade,” the typed letter said.

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