Philly priest convicted in hiding child sex abuse

(CBS News) PHILADELPHIA - For the first time, a senior member of the Catholic Church in the United States has been convicted of concealing sexual abuse of children by pedophile priests. Sixty-one-year old Monsignor William Lynn was the secretary for clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which has 1.5 million members.

Lynn was found guilty on one count of child endangerment. He was found not guilty of a separate child endangerment count and not guilty on a conspiracy charge.The jury came back in the afternoon after 13 days of deliberations.

Lynn was taken into custody and seen weeping when he left the courthouse. Philadelphia District Attorney R. Seth Williams said the verdict sent a clear message that anyone who protects pedophiles would be held accountable.

"What happened here was unspeakable," said Williams. "People knew that these were predators -- who were much more concerned with the institution than the victims of sexual assault."

Philly priest guilty of child endangerment, acquitted of conspiracy

For 12 years, Monsignor Lynn was responsible for investigating child sex abuse accusations against priests in Philadelphia and recommending priests' assignments.

Prosecutors said Lynn protected pedophile priests when he transferred them from parish to parish, where they victimized other children.

Lynn denied those allegations. He testified he was powerless to act without the approval from church superiors, including the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.

The lead prosecutor asked Lynn: "Did you or anybody you were associated with, or participate with, ever lie to parishioners about a priest going off into the sunset?"

"The cardinal wouldn't allow us to announce in those days why someone was leaving," Lynn replied.

Prosecutors also grilled Lynn about a secret list he compiled in 1994 of 35 priests suspected of child sex abuse, including three diagnosed pedophiles. A copy of the list was found in a safe in the archdiocese headquarters.

In court, the assistant district attorney asked Lynn: "How many times in your 12 years did you pick up the phone and call police? How many times?"

"None," Lynn said.

Friday's verdict in the Lynn case was the climax of a 10-year investigation of sex abuse by priests in Philadelphia. But Lynn's attorney, Jeff Lindy, said his client is a scapegoat.

"They had a body there, and the body was Msgr. Lynn and he took the conviction."

Advocates for victims of clergy sex abuse say Msgr. William Lynn's case be a model for other investigations and prosecutions.

[RepublicansRFiscalLibs]

This was not a case of celibacy causing frustration, but instead a case of men who knew they had homosexual tendencies becoming priests and then pursued illicit sex with vulnerable boys who were easy pickings.

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You apologists are sick in the head.

[morris2196]

It is my understanding that this is the first time in the history of the US that a supervisory-level member of the RCC was indicted for covering up child molestation by priests. Here, one was not only indicted, but convicted. The message to the RCC is "there is a new sheriff in town". I expects that the RCC is going to change its ways in the US.

[RepublicansRFiscalLibs]

I doubt they will, personally. They will probably continue to pay off its victims to avoid court, as they usually do.

[varigdc10]

In the Orthodox ( Russian, Greek, etc. ) religion all priests are married, in fact in order to become a priest in Orthodoxy the priest must be married. I don't think they have this kind of problem because it is only natural for a man to be with a woman. Maybe this would solve the problem in the Catholic religion, I don't know. I am not bashing any religion, simply stating a fact and my thoughts.

[notparicular]

In Hindu religion, for example, they have two kinds of preachers- priest and monks. All priests are married; they carry on the daily rituals. Monks are celibate. Priests outnumber monks by perhaps 100:1.

[skithebumps]

You are wrong about celibacy in the Orthodox churches. If a man becomes an Orthodox priest before he is married he can never marry and must remain celibate for the rest of his life.

Also, only celibate priests can be ordained as bishops in the Orthodox churches, not married priests.
In addition, Orthodox monks are all celibate.

Finally, you are making a huge error in regard to the clerical abuse scandal in the Catholic Church because celibacy has absolutely nothing to do with it. Those priests who abused sexually mature minors were 90% homosexual, as were the attacks.

This was not a case of celibacy causing frustration, but instead a case of men who knew they had homosexual tendencies becoming priests and then pursued illicit sex with vulnerable boys who were easy pickings.

In the end, though, the percentage of Catholic priests who committed these crimes was incredibly small, perhaps .5% to 1%.

The changes made by the Church in the last 15 years are the reason why none of these cases is new. Instead they are all decades old.

[RepublicansRFiscalLibs]

Those priests who abused sexually mature minors were 90% homosexual, as were the attacks.

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Cite your source.

Pedophiles are equal-opportunity molesters - whichever sex is easiest to access without raising eyebrows.

[wmdmia]

This church is actually set up to create and support sexual deviance. Or at least that is the effect when forcing the leaders to be without sex.
Pedophiles look for organizations like this where they have power over children, and parents are oblivious to the danger.

[mick7744]

I turned in my kneepads a few weeks before I was to receive the sacrament of Confirmation into the Catholic Church, over half a century ago.

I did this to avoid swearing faith, true allegiance and blind obedience to an organization whose doctrines I already held to be more concerned with self-perpetuation and the acquisition and holding of POWER than in spreading the true teachings of Jesus Christ.

But just because I had no faith or belief in THEIR teachings...to me, that didn't mean that I shouldn't fear the wrath of an all-knowing God who might resent my being so foresworn to that which I had no faith or belief in (remember...I was only 13 at the time)

Instead of spreading the teachings OF Jesus...they created a religion ABOUT Jesus...with themselves being conviently set up as the ONLY way for mortal man to gain access to God and thus to attain the Kingdom of Heaven.

They created a MONOPOLY for themselves...one that lasted until the infidel Muslims and the heretic Protestants showed up...taking away a lot of lucrative business.

And they ruthlessly, often violently, stamped out any opposing views of Christianity within the early church

One of the major reasons that it was decided to have priests take vows of celibacy was because so many of them...as people who wielded ultimate power over the fate of a medieval man's immortal soul...might decide that he wanted to bed the man's daughter...or his wife...or his son...or even himself...

It became an oft-complained of clerical problem that the church unsuccessfully attempted to redress at the Second Lateran Council in 1139.

But another reason was far more financially practical. Too much revenue-bearing church land was being willed to the offspring of Bishops and other high-ranking churchmen because they had held it for so long, they eventually came to consider it their own...to be bequeathed to their heirs as they saw fit...

Just a falling out among thieves!

But as much as I abhorred what I saw as the Church's true order of priorities (Catholic Church first...Catholic clergy second...God third...Jesus fourth, and so on...

I NEVER imagined priests as being the sexual predators they are depicted as today...my friends and I always thought they were just the usual bunch of sadistic bullies...

You know...NORMAL priests!

I think it quite proper for enablers and protectors of pedophiles like Monsignor Lynn to face incarceration for their unconscionable crimes

They've amply shown by their actions (and inaction)...that they have absolutely NO fear of God...

Perhaps this case will instill some fear of the American justice system in them, since concern over their severely damaged souls doesn't seem to be effective

[gregorio57]

I am Catholic and what you say is not true.

[mick7744]

Yes it is...every word!

Specifics please...

[skithebumps]

Your comment is filled with untruths, misconceptions and ridiculous assertions, not one of which is true.
So you were going to be confirmed in grade school and had enough theological insight at that age to reject the only Church that Christ ever founded?
How you can fail to see the absurdity and arrogance of that statement is beyond me but I'm sure that hell is filled with the souls of the arrogant.
You are wrong in your theology, wrong in your Christology and wrong in your ecclesiology.
Truly one of the dumbest and most misguided posts I have ever read on this CBS News site.

[RepublicansRFiscalLibs]

Excellent comment, mick - spot on!!!

[pennypickle12]

You are sadly mistaken if you think for one minute that faithful Catholics are happy or approve of the actions of a few clergy. We are just as outraged as all people of good will are. That a few sick, twisted, homosexual priests have physically and emotionally damaged the vulnerable children and young adults they are charged with protecing is sickening. No one is happy about this. No one wins. These homosexual predator priests have damaged not only their victims but the society at large as well as the Catholic faithful. We welcome their convictions and are committed to openness in the Church to ensure that this type of activity does not occur in the future. But, married clergy will not change this (gay men who abuse young boys will not stop because they can marry women and still be priests) and women priests will not stop this (wait until the scandal hits about the abuse of young girls by women religious, SNAP seems to have left this group alone). Just please understand that those of us in the pews have been damaged by this entire sordid episode in our church's history and do not confuse the actions of the few (be they priests, monsignor's, bishops, archbishops, cardinals, or even the Pope) with the many who faithfully follow the moral teachings of the Church and who work diligently to make the world a better place.

[RepublicansRFiscalLibs]

Odd - the usual bunch of trolls who are Catholic - Dan, Empire, Perish, etc - are nowhere to be seen....

Hmmmm.... Perhaps they are finally shamed for contributing to such an evil organization.

[gregorio57]

I am not ashamed to be Catholic. Did we throw out the constitution when Nixon was found to have committed crimes? There are evil men in the Catholic Church, but they are far and few between.

[RepublicansRFiscalLibs]

I am not ashamed to be Catholic.

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Well, you SHOULD be, for knowingly contributing money to an organization which in itself is a serial criminal offender.

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

by nohater June 23, 2012 5:19 AM EDT
catholics in general are just an awful group of people. they continue to support a corrupt clergy of priests, nuns, all the way up to their pope.
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I too find it astounding that people will financially support an evil cult that conspires to rape children.

[regebob]

they are just weak minded zombies who can be manipulated to do anything.they make me puke

[gregorio57]

The Catholic Church does many good things, and the evil that a few do does not mean that the entire Church is wrong. You are commenting about something you don't know about. Are you Catholic? Are you going to church regularly? I certainly can't comment in detail about the marines as I have never been one.

[RepublicansRFiscalLibs]

gregorio - NOTHING justifies an organization which protects molesters of children to continue.

[jonnyooh]

One more sacred cow bites the dust. I was wondering, though, does homosexual pedophiliac rape violate a priests vows of chastity? I'm sure Jezus would appreciate the distinction. Goshalmighty, I wonder what Mr. Murdoch thinks. Any Foxbot zombies following this story? Y'all know what? I'm gonna make a bet that within the next twenty years the floodgates could open for other denominations in the religious industry. Count on Mr. Murdoch to come up missing when you need him. MR. LIMBAUGH!

[redbeachvn]

Did Jesus say it's OK?