Click here to read: “Pa. Supreme Court to decide Lynn case,” by Joseph A. Slobodzian, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 9, 2014
Excerpt: Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court agreed Thursday to resolve the contested key legal theory underpinning the landmark 2012 prosecution of the first Catholic Church official charged in the clergy child-sex-abuse scandal.
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court agreed Thursday to resolve the contested key legal theory underpinning the landmark 2012 prosecution of the first Catholic Church official charged in the clergy child-sex-abuse scandal.
The state’s highest court will thus decide the future of Msgr. William J. Lynn, the former Archdiocese of Philadelphia official responsible for investigating and recommending punishment for priests accused of sexual and other misconduct.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140509_Pa__Supreme_Court_to_hear_Msgr__Lynn_s_appeal.html#hz0BH334C5QAhwjy.99
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court agreed Thursday to resolve the contested key legal theory underpinning the landmark 2012 prosecution of the first Catholic Church official charged in the clergy child-sex-abuse scandal.
The state’s highest court will thus decide the future of Msgr. William J. Lynn, the former Archdiocese of Philadelphia official responsible for investigating and recommending punishment for priests accused of sexual and other misconduct.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140509_Pa__Supreme_Court_to_hear_Msgr__Lynn_s_appeal.html#hz0BH334C5QAhwjy.99
Here is a link that works: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20140509_Pa__Supreme_Court_to_hear_Msgr__Lynn_s_appeal.html
When I click on the news story it says: Error 404-Page not found. Thank you.
I fixed it. Thanks for the heads up.
If the church followed the “Spirit of the Law” and not the “Letter of the Law” none of this would be necessary.Jesus 2 thousand of years ago taught the church everything it needs to know and its all in the Bible as well as in tradition. Was Lynn a scapegoat for Archbishop Bev and the other Bishops yes but each of us has a individual moral responsibility to God and our neighbor and it anything this case of Lynn is a reminder to me of that fact both in my private and public life. Many times in life its hard to be an individual going against the tide of corruption but we need to do it anyway but with God’s grace we can…….I look at all that is going on in the church and I see such a lack of faith, hope and love……….and I see the need to foster those virtues in my own life……
I understand that the justices will rule on the “direct supervision” question under the pre-2007 law.
I don’t understand the part about whether Lynn could be charged as an “accomplice” to a scheme in which sexually deviant priests were reassigned to places they could prey on other children.” Is it saying that a new and different charge could be lodged against Lynn, one in addition to or other than child-endangerment?
Given that lynn had direct knowledge of these ‘time bombs’ and placed them in a position / environment where they would likely re-offend appears that he is an accomplice.
In the end Satan is at the root of the abuse of children I strongly believe this after confronting a predator and feeling Satans presence in the room. Shockingly Harvard was going to allow a black mass on campus this week and it was moved off campus after much protest. Many Satan worshippers are also involved in ritual abuse. Prayer and action will always be necessary to overcome Satan in whatever form he appears. This is not just a physical battle we fight but a spiritual one……..that’s why I love the prayer of St. MIchael……pray it and he will help you…..Peace
Ralph Cipriano has some insights to bring to this discussion at:
http://www.bigtrial.net
Kate, it is a good read and all I kept thinking when reading about all the technicalities and legalities, was that Lynn was a priest, a Man of God..and for 12 years..years..not days,weeks or months but 12 years,he did not do the right thing for children and that will never change no matter what the final outcome.
I talked with someone who knew him, about how he could have lasted 12 years having dutifully followed orders even when those orders were ethically, if not legally wrong ,and the response was “he was put there for a reason. A Yes man was needed and he filled the slot” .
Lynn. He’s in a bad way.
There are thousands and thousands of priests like Lynn.
Way back, when Lynn presented himself as a candidate for the priesthood, he very likely had no accurate knowledge of it and his recruiters used deceptive means to hook him, offering unconditional love, a career, new “powers,” and a social utopia.
Lynn’s vulnerabilities led him to take the bait. Among them, a desire to belong, unassertiveness, gullibility, mainstream/secular cultural and social disillusionment, susceptibility to ritual fanfare and all things heavenly and Other, lack of self-confidence, desire for meaning (likely he perceived the spiritual route to be his last straw), ignorance of how insular groups can manipulate individuals, and idealistic.
When Lynn entered seminary, his exposure to the priesthood’s insular groupthink began, reaching a crescendo once he was in ministry and the pressures of careerism and favoritism came into play. He, like most priests, dutifully, obediently, and loyally immersed himself in the groupthink. Among its “rewards” are an illusion of invulnerability (nothing bad ever happens to Father, the brotherhood will protect me), an illusion of morality (we are moral, God told us so), rationalization (in moving pedophile priests around it’s ok because we’re protecting Mother Church), stereotyping (dissidents, progressives, and whistleblowers are evil; we, however, are “in persona Christi”), self-censorship (we can look at ourselves with integrity; we can see and fix our mistakes and there are none), an illusion of unanimity (ALL of the brothers are onboard with the way we operate), pressure on and punitive consequences for dissident points of view (don’t speak up with criticism or you’re gone), and reliance on mind guards (bishops and popes love you, know God’s mind, and know what’s best for you and humanity).
Lynn’s not the only Yes-man. Yes-men embody the priesthood. Their silence ensures and maintains what, in reality, is the tragedy of Catholicism.
Wow Katherine you nailed it. The priesthood has become everything Jesus wasn’t. In many ways he was always making waves, challenging and confronting those that were corrupt and hypocrits in the church. Jesus was fearless to the very end and far from being a coward………Jesus should be a source of strength for us not a crutch to avoid confronting the evil in the world……
Kate, of course but there are levels of “Yes” men but he seemed at the highest rung. Also add in the power..take a man who would not have even made middle management in the outside world and put him in charge of a few hundred people..and there you go. The desire to please and a little power…
Kathy, I see it more as a desire to please and no power. Sure, power in title, leading him to manage a few hundred priests, but powerless to do it in a manner other than the one historically demanded by the big guys and the clerical culture. Where is the power in knowing you must follow orders or your out? That’s exactly why they chose Lynn. “He’ll do what we tell him to do.” How powerless is that?
We’re asking Lynn to have been an individual, a hero, a renegade, a whistleblower. He’s a priest. Forget it.
Kathy, while I view Lynn as essentially powerless in his job of overseeing priests, which is not an excuse for his criminal/immoral behavior, I’ve always wonder whether he behaved on the up-and-up while he was a pastor. As pastor, he had power. Did he abuse it? For example, did he steal parish funds? While doing so is hardly uncommon, the clerical culture does not outwardly or secretly expect or promote it, nor does one’s job depend on doing it. I guess my question is, were Lynn free of clericalism’s demands and threats, would he still misbehave on his own fruition? Is he, alone, a bad guy?
I just was reminded once again this week that Satan is the “father of all lies” the ones others tell and the ones we tell to others and even ourselves…….Jesus will always be the Way the Truth and the LIght………….and I thank God for that……….Peace to all of you that come to this site……..I pray for you always………
http://news.yahoo.com/puerto-rico-priest-faces-federal-sex-charges-143832471.html
Maybe some news to brighten your day. The feds have finally become involved in the prosecution of clergy sexual abuse. Hopefully this is just the beginning.
I remember some had cried foul at the plea deal and short prison sentence that Avery agreed to..but people should know that these crimes don’t always carry the sentence we would imagine .
http://nypost.com/2014/05/16/orthodox-jewish-man-admits-to-sex-8-times-with-teenage-boy/