PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer

By John P. Martin
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

A priest who helped Msgr. William J. Lynn investigate child-sex abuse complaints in the 1990s on Tuesday described the former clergy secretary as a low-level manager who pressed accused clerics to enter treatment but who had no authority to order them to do so.

The priest, Msgr. Michael T. McCulken, testified that Lynn’s recommendations typically needed the approval of three bosses above him, including Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua. At the time, Lynn was one of six priests who held the title of “secretary” within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, overseeing areas ranging from education to Catholic life.

“Was there any level in the official hierarchy that was below the secretaries — or would they be the bottom rung?” defense lawyer Jeffrey Lindy asked McCulken.

“They would be the bottom rung,” McCulken said.

His testimony in Philadelphia Common Pleas…