Philly Archdiocese Helps Monsignor Post $250k Bail

PHILADELPHIA (PA)
ABC News

By MARYCLAIRE DALE Associated Press

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia helped post the $250,000 bail needed to release a former church official who has been imprisoned for 18 months in the clergy-abuse scandal.

Monsignor William Lynn’s attorneys posted the bail on Tuesday after a state appeals court last week overturned his conviction for child endangerment. Lynn was expected to be released later this week after electronic monitoring can be arranged.

Lynn became the first U.S. church official ever convicted for his handling of abuse claims and was sent to prison in July 2012 for three to six years. But the mid-level appeals court found that the child-endangerment felony didn’t apply to him, because he did not directly supervise children when he served as the archdiocese’s secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004. The law was changed in 2007.

Lawyers for Lynn also surrendered his passport, another bail condition.

Ken Gavin, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said the church “assisted” with the $25,000 needed to post bail.

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