PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By John P. Martin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
A ranking monsignor in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia chose to ignore or conceal information about sexually abusive priests because protecting the church was more important than protecting children, a prosecutor said Monday morning.
“You can’t protect the church without keeping the allegations in the dark,” to Assistant District Attorney Jacqueline Coelho told jurors as the landmark sexual abuse case got under way. “He kept the parishioners in the dark and he kept the faithful in the dark.”
Coelho’s opening statement came after lawyers for Msgr. William J. Lynn and the Rev. James J. Brennan lost a bid to seek a new jury or delay the trial.
The proceedings were delayed nearly 90 minutes while Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina and attorneys met individually with the jurors to make sure none had been unduly influenced by news that a third defendant, defrocked priest Edward V. Avery, pleaded guilty last week. When it ended, the panel of 22 jurors and alternates had dropped to 20. But the judge did not explain why.
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