US Priest Convicted On Porn Charges Stayed In Job

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jurors in a landmark U.S. church sex abuse trial were presented Tuesday with the troubled career of a priest who was convicted on child pornography charges yet remained in ministry for years.

Prosecutors introduced decades of documents from the Philadelphia archdiocese’s secret archives that outlined how Edward DePaoli, after being convicted in federal court in 1986, went through psychological treatment and a half-dozen church assignments before he was defrocked in 2005.

DePaoli is not a defendant in the trial, but prosecutors are building a case against Monsignor William Lynn, who was the archdiocese’s secretary of clergy from 1992 to 2004 and was entrusted with investigating complaints against priests.

Lynn is the first Roman Catholic official in the U.S. charged with endangering children by allegedly keeping pedophile priests in parish work around children to protect the church’s reputation.

His lawyers say Lynn tried to address the abuse allegations but was thwarted by his superiors, including then-Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.

Also on trial is the Rev. James Brennan, charged with raping a 14-year-old boy in 1996.

He and Lynn have both entered not guilty pleas.

DePaoli in 1986 was found to have magazines, films and videotapes of underage boys. He received a one-year suspended sentence and was sent to counseling.

Doctor reports in December 1986 warned that DePaoli “is likely to repeat his past behavior and to become progressively worse … he could go beyond fantasy (regarding) his sexual fantasies towards children” and he was “in need of extensive psychological work.” Instead, DePaoli was transferred out of the Philadelphia archdiocese to New Jersey for three years. In 1991, he returned to Philadelphia.

In 1992, priests reported DePaoli was again receiving pornography in the mail and said parishioners complained he made inappropriate comments at a children’s Mass about imagining a girl naked. The Rev. Robert Feeney testified that DePaoli had disturbing pictures on the walls of his room featuring naked versions of biblical scenes, as well as a crucifix with a nude Jesus.

“That was something the housekeeper had a very difficult time with,” Feeney said.

After DePaoli’s removal, he rejected the archdiocese’s suggestion for in-patient hospitalization and lobbied to return. He was put on administrative leave and eventually went to the rural town of Stowe.

A 55-year-old woman testified Tuesday that she was fondled by DePaoli when she was a 12-year-old parishioner. She said her family had recently immigrated and did not report it out of fear that they would not be believed.

She said they met with Lynn and Bevilacqua in 2002 after learning the priest was still around children.

“My feeling was that they didn’t really care,” she said. “They were just going through the motions.”

Although her name was stated in court, The Associated Press generally does not identify people alleging sexual abuse.