PHILADELPHIA (PA)
My Fox Philly
Kristen Byrne, Blogger
MyFoxPhilly.com
Documents from the file of an accused priest were read to the jury in a clergy-abuse case involving the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
On Tuesday, Detective James Dougherty read numerous documents outlining Rev. James Brennan’s assignments and leave of absence from the archdiocese. The documents spanned from 1989, which was the year Brennan was ordained, to 2006.
In 1995, complaints began to surface regarding Brennan’s “inappropriate behavior” at Divine Providence Village, where he both resided and served as chaplain. There had been reports of a younger man living with him, whom he claimed to be his nephew, and later his cousin.
According to a memorandum filed by Monsignor William Lynn, Brennan confronted him requesting a leave of absence from the ministry in 1996. Brennan said he was leaving for personal reasons; to face his issues with sexual and emotional abuse. However, in Brennan’s 2008 canonical testimony read last week, the jurors heard that Brennan denied claims that he ever experienced sexual abuse as a child.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.