Cardinal 'Ordered List of Predator Priests Destroyed' As Its Writer Requests Own Child Endangerment Case Dropped

Daily Mail
February 25, 2012

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2106357/Cardinal-ordered-list-predator-priests-destroyed-writer-requests-child-endangerment-case-dropped.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Requested drop: Monsignor William Lynn has requested the case against him in a priest child abuse scandal be dropped after new evidence was produced including a list of problem priests he created

Taking names: Lynn took it upon himself to review secret church files after becoming secretary for clergy in 1992 and later gave the list of accused, still-active priests to his superior, Monsignor James E. Molloy

Shredding: Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua (shown) ordered the lists of 35 priests destroyed but a single copy was retained by Lynn's superior, Monsignor Molloy and discovered in 2006

A Roman Catholic church official accused of keeping predator priests in ministry and transferring them from parish to parish has requested the case against him dismissed after new evidence shows his list of priests had been destroyed.

Facing trial, Monsignor William Lynn created the list of problem priests in 1994, but Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua had it destroyed, according to a defense memo filed Friday.

Lynn wants his child endangerment case dismissed because of new evidence turned over by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia which includes one surviving list of the 35 accused priests.

Lynn took it upon himself to review secret church files after becoming secretary for clergy in 1992, and he later gave a list of accused, still-active priests to his superior, Monsignor James E. Molloy.

Bevilacqua had Molloy shred four copies of the list, according to a memo signed by Molloy and a witness. But Molloy kept a copy in a locked safe at the archdiocese, where it was found in 2006, after Lynn had moved on, according to his motion.

'It is clear from the Molloy memo, and (its) belated production, that Monsignor Lynn has been 'hung out to dry," the defense motion says.

'The recent unexpected and shocking discovery of a March, 1994 memorandum composed by Monsignor James Molloy, Monsignor Lynn's then-supervisor, on the topic of this review, clearly reveals that justice demands that all charges against Monsignor Lynn be dropped,' Lynn's attorneys continues.

Lynn, who is charged with conspiracy and child endangerment, maintains his innocence.

He has long argued that he took orders from Bevilacqua and is being made a scapegoat for the church's sex abuse scandal.

Prosecutors themselves blasted Bevilacqua in two grand jury reports but never charged him with a crime. They have called the archdiocese and others 'unindicted co-conspirators.'

Bevilacqua appeared before the first grand jury 10 times in 2003 and 2004 and denied any attempt to obstruct the investigation, according to Lynn's motion. He died last month at age 88.

Molloy also denied destroying any documents from the secret archives, according to an excerpt of his grand jury testimony. He also is dead.

Late last year, Bevilacqua, who was suffering from dementia and cancer, gave a videotaped deposition that can be used at trial, but the value of his testimony remains unclear. Lynn's lawyers have fought to have it excluded, based in part on Bevilacqua's dementia.

They renewed that request Friday, saying they never had a chance to ask Bevilacqua if he had Lynn's list destroyed.

Lynn is the first US church official charged for his administrative action.

Jury selection is under way, with testimony scheduled to start March 26. A priest and an ex-priest charged with rape are on trial with him, and they also maintain their innocence.

A gag order prevents prosecutors or the archdiocese, which serves 1.5 million Roman Catholics, from commenting on Lynn's allegations.

Lynn, 61, would faces up to 28 years in prison if convicted on all counts against him.