“Priest’s lawyers argue endangerment charge does not apply,” by Nancy Phillips, Inquirer Staff Writer, June 6, 2011.
Excerpt: “The judge scheduled a July hearing for arguments on whether prosecutors erred in charging Lynn with child endangerment, an offense that his lawyers said did not apply to his conduct. Under Pennsylvania law, child endangerment charges may be brought against parents, guardians or people who are “supervising the welfare of children,” his lawyers said in court papers.
Lynn, whose job it was to review allegations against priests accused of sex abuse and recommending new assignments, was too far removed from children for the statute to apply, said the lawyers, Thomas A. Bergstrom and Jeffrey M. Lindy.”
I love how they also argued for shore vacation time. Really? I’m sure the sand is nice and hot in hell.
Lynn most definitely was responsible for supervising the welfare of children. If you have the power(position and responsibility) to assigning a sex abuser cleric to a place where children will be at risk of sex abuse as opposes to not asigning him than you play a direct role in endangering that child. Dahhhhhhhhhhh!!!
On C4C this scripture is quoted on each topic page:
“Have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.” (Matthew 10:26-27)
We dispensationalists [who call ourselves “right dividers”] would describe the verses as “applying across dispensational lines” i.e., they are true for the Jews Jesus spoke them to [preparing them for tribulations to come] while He was on earth, and are true for the Body of Christ today for we too are subject to certain kinds of suffering:
for thesake and name of Christ Who is absent from the earth and seated in heaven.
“McGovern settled on the July 4 holiday. He then lamented, “He’ll just have to get used to visiting Scranton, Pittsburgh and Erie.””
Maybe we better tell the rest of Penna, Lynn is coming.
A drowning man reaching for a straw, it doesn’t look like Lynn has given the defense much to work with.
I think that the DA realized there was a chance that the child endangerment charge wouldn’t stick, which is why they added the conspiracy charge.
I can see how they could argue against the child endangerment aspect of this (with a 50/50 chance of success), but I don’t see how they can get around the conspiracy charge.
The abusive priests don’t have to know each other…they just have to know that SOMEONE in the AD will make sure they get away with it.
There is no honor left in the Catholic church.
Whether you realize it or not, the world looks at you differently now if you say you are a Catholic. It will get worse in the future, as the truth is slowly dragged out of Catholic church leaders who will do whatever they can to continually lie and hide their crimes.
Non-Catholics have always questioned the wisdom of Catholics, who follow this invisible being. However, they now have consistent, long term proof that you can’t trust Catholics, since the leaders that you follow
– rape children
– lie
– spend huge parish donations on lawyers to try to keep guilty priests out of jail
– et cetera
The non-Catholics won’t ask you about it or debate you, but you’ll never be trusted to make an honorable hand-shake agreement in business.
Your judgement won’t be trusted. Who is the back stabber at work? Who is most likely to be guilty if two people both try to avoid blame for a work mistake? Choose the Catholic who follows leaders who rape children and lie?
Or choose the Buddhist.
Or the Hacidic Jew.
Or the Japanese guy.
Or the Atheist who is honest about his Atheism.
I’d take anyone else.
Or choose the honorable ex-convict who pleaded guilty as soon as he got caught, cried and apologized, and served his time. In the case of the ex-convict, what are the only crimes you wouldn’t forgive him for? Oh yeah, murder and child rape.
Or the crime that was INVENTED by the Catholic church – conspiring to hide child rape.
There are so many ways this should make you sick to your stomach, and so many bad ramifications.
Let us not forget that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is paying for Lynn’s lawyers with the monies that the parishioners put in the collection basket every week so the premiums for the insurance can be paid. Who do you think is paying for my disability due in large part to 24 years of priest abuse? YOU, not the church Who do you think is paying for my medicine? YOU not the church. I stood before Lynn in 1993 2001 and 2006 and each time he defended the priests that had raped me. It is only after I went after one of the priests in Tennessee that the review board posted him on their website! I did the work while Lynn coward behind his brother priests.
Patrick,
As you know by now from my posts here, I am no longer a Catholic, but my family is.
Your charges are unfair and off the mark!
In my “crusade” to tell Catholics of God’s grace apart from the law and religion and man’s fraudulent schemes, I realize that they are sincerely following what they know- even though it is error. To say they will be tarred with the crooked bishops and priests is unfair and unwarranted in my opinion. I expect you to apologize to all those innocent Catholics.
I won’t apologize. I’m entitled to my opinion, you’re entitled to yours, and the rest of the world is entitled to theirs. Re-read what I said, and tell me what facts are wrong. The only part that was opinion was what type of person you would trust in the future, and I think it’s obvious that outsiders won’t trust the Catholic.
It is fact and not opinion that those who follow the Catholic church are following a group of leaders that raped tens of thousands of children and conspired to lie about it. That’s not even debatable. Do you really think outsiders will think, “he follows a religion that lied about child rape, but he would never lie about stealing money at work”. This is America, and you get to believe what you want. So do outsiders.
If your “innocent Catholics” are following what they know, this doesn’t make them right. If they followed God, they wouldn’t follow these bishops and priests.
The outside world sees this more clearly that you do, in my opinion, and will judge you based on your beliefs and your leaders.
Patrick – I understand what your saying. There was a time when I was proud to say, “I am Catholic.”
About a month ago, I was asked what my religion was when I went to the ER. I have no idea if the person looked at me differently when I said I was Catholic.
However, I felt different, and uncomfortable with my response. My admission felt strained. I am no longer proud to be Catholic, and I was reluctant and embarrassed to admit it.
In addition, if I had been admitted to the hospital, would a visit by a priest have provided any comfort? I really don’t think so. I believe I would feel better if I were visited by any other type of Christian chaplain instead.
I never thought I would have reached this point, but (while still Catholic) my heart is growing more distant from the RCC each day, as I learn who these bishops really are.
I feel that if Elvis has left the room, Jesus has left the RC Church. He has been replaced by a vast group of immoral despot bishops.
Drwho,
I know exactly what you are saying, although some people above disagree. God bless American opinion.
I don’t think I’ve posted this before, but check out what the crazy Presbyterians are doing.
A Presbyterian church finds one youth ministries director with a sexual abuse claim, and they tell the insurance company and the lawyers that they are going to tell the truth instead of listening to their advice.
What?
Have they lost their minds?
For their benefit, I am posting the Catholic playbook:
– deny, deny, deny
– then lie, lie, lie
– then hire the best lawyers
– denigrate the victims, thereby discouraging other victims
– ignore the victims
– lie to the congregation
– lather, rinse, repeat
Those crazy Presbyterians, who will undoubtedly end up in hell, since they aren’t the “one, holy and apostolic church”, are sure looking good on this earth. Almost Christian.
See http://huff.to/knG8Og
Shame this wasn’t a free country where you could just walk across the street and go to a church that practiced some form of Christianity. Maybe the Catholic church should try to trade for Pastor Peter James or try to recruit him as a free agent during the off season.
The line: “Your comment is awaiting moderation “has continued to appear after my posts Susan.
Gerald
sorry, need my glasses – Engelhardt – with that congregation’s history that is in bad taste. They have sent abusive priests thoughout the state, check bishopaccountability for details.
This is why I have been so upset since the beginning of this. I have had countless people in this parish (my parish)/school argue with me as to whether or not Lynn really did anything wrong. REALLY? Do you think most people would feel this way if it were their own child or family member? As Christian people, aren’t we supposed to care about each other, not just ourselves?
Lynn, and all of them should be ashamed of ANY portion of what they did to contribute to the harm of anyone, especially a child. Period. And if Lynn was a scapegoat (as many in my community claim), and others “made” him make poor decisions, then he needs to speak up, and do the right thing. Seems the right thing many clergy preach about on Sunday, is terribly hard for them.
As to vacations, I have gone without several due to financial issues from job loss, etc. in the past few years. I really don’t give a damned about thier vacations. They also have someone to clean and cook for them. I have to take care of that when I am not working and taking care of my kids. We all make choices in life. And adults are expected to take responsible for thier actions. Clergy are no exception.
Those who abuse children are in denial, have a lack of empathy and a sense of entitlement that is chilling. They are seeking in a child what is lacking or missing in themselves and they are completely able to deny or rationalize the harm they have done and the wrong of it. Child abusers are very, very hard to cure.
Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin says this about abusers: “Without wishing to be unduly harsh, I feel that *I can honestly say that with perhaps two exceptions I have not encountered a real and unconditional admission of guilt and responsibility on the part of priest offenders in my diocese.* Survivors have repeatedly told me that one of the greatest insults and hurts they have experienced is to see the lack of real remorse on the part of offenders even when they plead guilty in court. It is very hard to speak of meaningful forgiveness of an offender when the offender refuses to recognise the facts and the full significance of the facts.”
(emphasis mine)
It is a hardness of heart or damaged humanity and conscience that allows the person, priest or bishop, to commit, ignore or cover up abuse of a child.
It allows a mother to repress and deny the abuse when she knows her husband or boyfriend is abusing her daughter.
It is the same kind of damaged humanity, loss of conscience and denial that allows a person to have one or repeated abortions.
These people are broken, to be pitied, but need to be placed in custodial care and treatment, and kept out of the priesthood. They cannot reflect and model the goodness, righteousness, peace and joy, the beauty, holiness, love, truth and life of Jesus Christ and the healthy Fatherhood of God – at a time when human fatherhood and motherhood is so poorly represented and there are so many fatherless and even motherless children, orphaned by the sins of their parents.
A recent article stated that in the UK, 23,000 children were sexually abused last year. That is one every 20 minutes.
These cases were mostly done in homes, in neighborhoods, amongst relatives, then schools and sports settings, then churches last. That spread of responsibility has been fairly consistent globally for years.
Vicky,
You are correct, and this parish refused to discuss the option of the collection envelope only being for parish use only (no AD contributions). At least in the meetings I have attended. The situation for me has been so bad, that I have been unable to attend church in my own parish. Certainly nothing, compared with what you have been through.
I am so sorry for what you have experienced. No one should abuse another person in this way. I hope you find some comfort in knowing that there are people who find what was done to you horrific.
My feelings are, and they are based on what I have read as well as personal experience, that those that help to cover up these kind of crimes, might indeed be hiding more than we know. It makes me physically sick. Again, I am sorry for the pain this has caused and continues to cause in your life. I hope some justice can be served, and that you and other victims can find peace. It’s important to remember, that you are someone’s daughter, friend, mother, sister. No body would want this to happen to thier family member or friend (or a total stranger for that matter).
I don’t know whether to LOL or be sick over the shore vacation argument. The ongoing sense of entitlement, even when criminally charged for a heinous crime, is borderline delusional! Unbelievable.
New reality show: “To Catch A Predator – Jersey Shore”