PHILADELPHIA (PA)
WSRO
MARYCLAIRE DALE
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Roman Catholic monsignor awaits sentencing Tuesday in a landmark prosecution over his handling of complaints that Philadelphia priests were molesting children.
Monsignor William Lynn faces up to seven years in prison for his felony child endangerment conviction. He was cleared of three related charges at trial.
The 61-year-old Lynn is the first American church official convicted in the scandal that’s rocked the Catholic church for more than a decade. But he may not be the last.
Bishop Robert Finn and the Kansas City diocese face a misdemeanor charge of failing to report suspected child sexual abuse. Both Finn and the diocese have pleaded not guilty, and are set to go on trial next month.
“I believe that what Lynn did was done by just about every diocese,” said Terence McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, which tracks priest-abuse cases. “In most cases, I think the vicar general was well informed, and also the bishop.”
More than 500 U.S. priests have now been convicted of abuse, according to his organization. But Lynn’s three-month trial, he said, shows “just how hard it is to demonstrate collusion.”
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