PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted: Monday, February 4, 2013
In convicting a priest and a former parochial-school teacher last week of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old altar boy from the Northeast, a jury effectively opened the door to further courtroom revelations about how Archdiocese of Philadelphia officials may have shielded these and other predators.
A civil lawsuit filed by the former St. Jerome’s altar boy known as “Billy Doe” – which was on hold pending the joint trial of the Rev. Charles Engelhardt and teacher Bernard Shero – could prove just as important as the criminal inquiries in finding the truth and achieving justice for sexual-abuse victims.
Without question, District Attorney Seth Williams is right to press ahead with charges for any criminal conduct revealed in a scathing 2011 grand jury report finding that church officials covered up abuse. Following the conviction on Wednesday of Engelhardt and Shero, prosecutors plan to retry another priest, James J. Brennan, accused of the attempted rape of a 14-year-old boy in 1996. A jury deadlocked on Brennan’s case last year, but it convicted Msgr. William J. Lynn of child endangerment after determining that he looked the other way while assigned to investigate allegations against priests.
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