PHILADELPHIA (PA)
NPR
by Eyder Peralta
A jury found Msgr. William J. Lynn, of Philadelphia, guilty on one count of endangerment stemming from allegations that he helped coverup the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. Lynn was acquitted of another count of endangerment and one count of conspiracy, the AP reports.
Lynn was the first Roman Catholic official to be tried in the United States in the aftermath of the priest abuse scandal. The jury returned its verdict on its 13th day of deliberations and two days after the judge sent them back to deliberate further after they said they were deadlocked on all but one charge.
As The Philadelphia Inquirer reports, Lynn was never accused of touching a child, instead he was accused of encouraging the reassignment of priests despite the fact that there were signs they had sexually abused children.
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