EDITORIAL: Judge imposes ‘fair-minded’ sentence for Lynn

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Daily Times

After three months of silence regarding the child endangerment trial of the Rev. Monsignor William Lynn, who was accused of protecting pedophile priests, officials in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia spoke out late Tuesday afternoon.

They issued a press release expressing profound regret for any pain the trial may have caused the 12 victims of clerical sexual abuse who courageously testified.

They also insisted that things have changed in the Roman Catholic Church since the days those victims were abused.

That being said, archdiocesan officials wanted to make another major point.

They think it’s time to be “fair-minded” in the case of the monsignor who was responsible for the disposition of suspected abusers when he served as secretary of clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004. …

“Fair-minded people will question the severity of the heavy, three to six year sentence imposed on Monsignor Lynn today. We hope that when this punishment is objectively reviewed, it will be adjusted. We pray for Monsignor Lynn and his family at this difficult time,” said the press release issued by officials in the archdiocese headed by Archbishop Charles Chaput.

We don’t even know where to begin in responding to such a tasteless and, quite frankly, incredible statement.

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