PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015
Statement by David Clohessy of St. Louis, director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those abused by Priests (314 566 9790, davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
The nation’s only Catholic supervisor in jail for endangering kids and protecting predators will get a new trial. This ruling rubs salt into already deep and still fresh wounds of Philadelphia Catholic and victims. It also emboldens those who are hiding or are tempted child sex crimes.
Msgr. William Lynn was, for years, a key part of a Catholic hierarchy that repeatedly and recklessly put kids in harm’s way, deliberately choosing to safeguard clerical careers while jeopardizing children’s safety. But instead of just serving out his extremely light sentence, Msgr. Lynn is doing what virtually every child molester does: exploiting every legal maneuver and loophole, trying to evade justice.
We hope he’s found guilty again. We hope he serves every day of his sentence. And we hope this outcome will deter other church staff – in Catholic circles and other circles – from ignoring or enabling horrific crimes against kids.
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