PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Voice from the Desert
Eileen DiFranco on Philadelphia Msgr. William Lynn: My Second Encounter with Bill Lynn
Eileen attended the big trial in Philadelphia yesterday. Below are her reflections. [FJD]
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My Second Encounter with Bill Lynn
Ten years ago, I was a member of a support group for one of the survivors mentioned in the 2005 Grand jury report. Our group had invited Lynn to a meeting to explain to all of us how Nicholas Cudemo could remain a priest when the archdiocese knew he had sexually abused a long list of adolescent girls on a regular basis.
I decided that I would take a personal day today and see how Bill was making out now that lawyers rather than private citizens were asking him how men who committed horrific crimes against children could remain in ministry as priests in good standing under his watch.
I arrived early and just spent some time looking around the courtroom. . The lawyers were up front busily preparing for the day. A large group of mostly women came into court. I heard that they were Lynn’s family. There were perhaps 10 observers and many media people. For those of you in Philadelphia, I saw local reporters Vernon Odom, Pat Sirococi, and Terry Ruggles. I was told that there were people from the national news and I later saw one of the women on the CBS national news.
There was a large man sitting in front of me. When three priests walked in and sat in front of him, he patted one of them on the back. An elderly man asked if I were a sister. That was a first for me. I didn’t want to tell him what I really was and upset him. ( I’m a Roman Catholic Womanpriest.)
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