{"id":628,"date":"2012-07-24T22:28:00","date_gmt":"2012-07-24T22:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/philadelphia-archdiocese-promises-vigilance-as-priest-is-sentenced\/"},"modified":"2012-07-24T22:28:00","modified_gmt":"2012-07-24T22:28:00","slug":"philadelphia-archdiocese-promises-vigilance-as-priest-is-sentenced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/07\/philadelphia-archdiocese-promises-vigilance-as-priest-is-sentenced\/","title":{"rendered":"Philadelphia archdiocese promises vigilance as priest is sentenced"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Philadelphia, Pa., Jul 24, 2012 \/ 04:28 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The Archdiocese of Philadelphia offered prayer and a pledge to protect children July 24, as Monsignor William Lynn received a three to six year prison sentence for his handling of an abusive priest.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFrom the challenges the Church has faced both nationally and locally over the past decade, we understand the full gravity of sexual abuse,\u201d the archdiocese said in its response to the sentence handed down by Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\tIn a statement released after the sentencing, the archdiocese reaffirmed its commitment \u201cto protecting children and caring for victims,\u201d while also offering its prayers \u201cfor Msgr. Lynn and his family at this difficult time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMsgr. Lynn, the archdiocese's secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, was found guilty June 22 on one felony count of endangering a child. The charge stemmed from his response to the case of Edward Avery, a now-laicized priest serving a jail sentence for abusing an altar boy during the 1990s.<\/p>\n

\tThe prosecution presented evidence that Msgr. Lynn reassigned Avery to live near a church school, despite having substantiated a claim of abuse against the priest. After being reassigned, Avery sexually assaulted a 10-year-old boy in 1999.<\/p>\n

\tDefense lawyers said the clergy secretary had worked diligently to investigate abuse cases and bring them before the late Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, who had authority over whether or not to remove priests from ministry.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cI did the best with what I could,\u201d Msgr. Lynn said before receiving his sentence on Tuesday. \u201cBut the fact is my best was not good enough to stop the harm, and for that, I am sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHis sentence, just short of the seven year maximum, may exceed that of Avery himself \u2013 who is serving two-and-a-half to five years for conspiracy and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. A second charge against Monsignor Lynn in the Avery case, accusing him of conspiracy, was rejected by jurors.<\/p>\n

\tNo senior U.S. Catholic official has previously been criminally convicted on charges deriving from abuse by another member of the clergy.<\/p>\n

\tDefense attorneys called the sentence unfairly harsh, saying Msgr. Lynn had received a sentence not ordinarily given even to those who are present as direct eyewitnesses of abuse.<\/p>\n

\tWhile accepting the former official's conviction, the Philadelphia archdiocese said that \u201cfair-minded people will question the severity\u201d of the near-maximum sentence. The archdiocese hopes that the punishment will be \u201cobjectively reviewed\u201d and \u201cadjusted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tMeanwhile, a new trial is expected for Fr. James Brennan, who is accused of attempting sexual assault in 1996. Msgr. Lynn was acquitted of a second endangerment charge stemming from Fr. Brennan's alleged actions.<\/p>\n

\tIn Tuesday's statement, the Philadelphia archdiocese acknowledged it had become a national \u201cepicenter\u201d for the issue of clerical abuse.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe know there is legitimate anger in the broad community toward any incident or enabling of sexual abuse,\u201d the Church said in its statement. \u201cThe trial of the past several months has been especially difficult for victims, and we profoundly regret their pain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cSince the events some ten years ago that were at the center of this trial, the Archdiocese has changed,\u201d the statement stressed.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe have taken dramatic steps to ensure that all young people in our care are safe, and these efforts will continue even more forcefully now and in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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