Philly monsignor: I lacked power to move priests

(CBS/AP) PHILADELPHIA - A high-ranking church official accused of moving predator-priests to unwitting parishes has testified that he had no authority to make priest transfers.

Monsignor William Lynn says he could only remove a priest who admitted abusing a minor. Lynn says he otherwise made recommendations for the cardinal.

And he says Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua overturned his plan for the Rev. Edward Avery when the accused priest was returning to ministry after inpatient treatment. Avery is now in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

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Lynn is testifying in the ninth week of his child-endangerment and conspiracy trial. His long-stoic demeanor in court has softened on the stand, and he has smiled several times.

Lynn is the first Roman Catholic official in the U.S. charged for allegedly helping the church bury abuse complaints. Prosecutors said he failed to weed out two priests charged with sexually assaulting teen boys. One of the priests has pleaded guilty, and the other is on trial with Lynn.

Several of Lynn's colleagues have testified in his defense, saying Bevilacqua called the shots. Bevilacqua died in January, before the trial began.

Among those colleagues, Monsignor James Beisel testified on Tuesday that he was assigned to help with the child sex-abuse complaints at the Philadelphia archdiocese in the early 1990s but was "woefully unprepared" and left after a year. His fellow priests have said Lynn talked compassionately with abusers and sent accused priests for mental-health evaluations.

Prosecutors note that Beisel left the job, while Lynn stayed from 1992 to 2004, despite a similar lack of training.

Beisel says he and Lynn went through secret files at night in early 1994 to review abuse complaints and make a list of 35 suspected pedophile-priests.

[rayward73446]

William Lynn failed to act responsibly when he became aware that crimes had been committed. He and everyone has to report these crimes to authorities, he did not. He should be convicted of conspiricy, along with anyone who knew about these crimes and failed to report them to the police. His denial of having the authority to move the priests is a moot point.

[slownewsday_5000]

I wish I could say this was some kind of surprise... but it's just the Catholic status quo.

[redbeachvn]

Right on Monsignor. Have your Church evaluated the possibility of having married Priests? Other religions don't seem to have any problems. I'm sure you can find a passage in Bible which allows married priest, I'm sure God said its OK.

[flechav]

I think the good ol' Catholics need to go back to the play book. I mean if someone like a Nun trying to help the poor or a Preist messing with little boys need to be dealt with. The Spanish Inquisition worked for awhile; get out of line and they burned them at the stake. Before that they put them in a big stadium and let the critters have a taste.NFL off season? Then, when they got to South America they butchered the naitives, well at least cut off one foot to teach them a lesson. I don't think an organization like this has a very good track record but they sure have a few million folks brainwashed. Just sayin'!

[FormerUSMCSergeant]

Blame it all on the dead guy.

Convenient.

[petesis]

Yesterday, there was no commenting on the story about Obama strangling the poor Catholic Church.... I guess they knew better. Now this. They are filthy, filthy scum. The worlds oldest sham flim flam. And sexual abusers on top of it. As an ex catholic, I continue to be amazed at the levels of depravity and corruption that they demonstrate. I left the church and have never ever regretted it for a second. More should try it.

[AAnnie52]

Here's a suggestion - call the police. Take it out of the cardinal's hands.

[davcor2]

I think it would benefit the Catholic Church to clean up it's sexual abusers before it trys to clean up any federaly mandated birth control. Speaking as a Catholic, it would seem the church needs a great deal of modern direction.

[retiredgustav]

I guess he never heard of 9-1-1.

[John782011]

Certain groups in Europe during the 40s used the same arguements and yet were convicted of war crimes.

[hypnotoad72]

*zing*