PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By John P. Martin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Msgr. William J. Lynn asserted again Tuesday that he did more than his predecessors at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to curb or stop sexual abuse by priests, but that he had little choice but to follow directives of his bosses and medical professionals.
“I did much more than had been done before I got there,” Lynn insisted from the witness stand, later adding: “I have many victims that told me I helped them.”
He spoke as Assistant Philadelphia District Attorney Patrick Blessington opened a third-day of cross-examination, pressing Lynn to explain why he didn’t remove priests who had been accused of sexual misconduct. The testimony resumed after Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina denied a bid by the lawyers for Lynn and his codefendant, the Rev. James J. Brennan, to dismiss a charge against each.
Blessington and Lynn picked up largely where they left off Thursday, with the prosecutor firing questions and accusations at the former clergy secretary and Lynn denying any wrongdoing. Calling Lynn “the eyes and the ears” of Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua on sexual abuse complaints and investigation between 1992 and 2004, Blessington asked Lynn why he allowed the Rev. Robert Brennan to stay at a parish in 1993 after learning that two seventh-grade boys alleged that the priest had groped or caressed them.
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.