PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Daily News
BY NATALIE POMPILIO
Philadelphia Daily News
pompiln@phillynews.com 215-854-2595
THE JURY can hear how Monsignor William Lynn and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia responded to more than 20 claims of priests sexually abusing children when it considers criminal charges against Lynn and two others next month, a Common Pleas judge ruled yesterday.
Judge M. Teresa Sarmina ruled that jurors needed to have a complete history “to evaluate properly the totality of the circumstances and to be able to make appropriate inferences from that evidence.”
The judge’s ruling was a win for prosecutors. Lynn’s defense attorneys had argued that the other cases should not be allowed because they would unfairly influence the jury.
Lynn, 61, faces conspiracy and child-endangerment charges for allegedly concealing the actions of two priests accused of abusing boys in the 1990s. Lynn was secretary of the clergy from 1992 to 2004.
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