PHILADLEPHIA (PA)
Catholic Online
PHILADELPHIA, PA (Catholic Online) – Last year, Monsignor William Lynn went to prison for covering up cases of priests in his charge who molested children. Instead of reporting those priests to authorities, he simply transferred them to other parishes where they went on to abuse other children.
Lynn, 62, was sentenced to three to six years in prison for the conviction.
However, a three-judge Superior Court panel has overturned his conviction saying that under the law, he could not be held responsible for what happened to the abused children.
The judges are right, therefore Monsignor Lynn will be released, possibly as early as today.
Thomas Bergstrom, Lynn’s attorney, told the media following the ruling, “He’s been in prison 18 months for a crime he didn’t commit and couldn’t commit under the law. It’s incredible what happened to this man.”
But is it really?
When Monsignor Lynn served as Secretary of the Clergy from 1992 to 2004, he knowingly reassigned pedophile priests to several different parishes in Philadelphia. He did the wrong thing and children paid the price. Although Lynn may not be legally culpable for what happened, he is certainly morally responsible. As faithful Catholics, we must hold our Church fathers to a higher standard of morality because the trust we have in them is virtually absolute and they are responsible for the most important aspect of our lives, which is our spiritual well-being. We trust these men with our children and our souls.
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