PHILADELPHIA (PA)
CBS Philly
By Tony Hanson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The judge in an alleged clergy abuse case (see related story) has again rejected a defense motion to prohibit the testimony of retired Philadelphia cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua on competency grounds, even though the defense contends that Bevilacqua can’t accurately remember many of his own actions during the last two decades.
The judge ordered Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua’s testimony preserved — videotaped — in late November after finding the cardinal competent despite suffering from dementia and cancer (see previous story).
But after hearing his testimony, defense attorneys for defendant Msgr. William Lynn renewed the competency issue, arguing that Belivacqua couldn’t even identify Msgr. Lynn — his Secretary for Clergy for over a decade — or remember his own previous testimony.
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