12 Jurors Selected For Priest Sexual Abuse Case In Philadelphia

Jurors Selected For Philadelphia Priest Sex Abuse Case

February 29, 2012 1:19 PM

(Msgr. William Lynn, on his way into court with his attorney last April. Credit: Steve Tawa)

Reporting Tony Hanson

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Heard On, Local, Philadelphia, Syndicated Local

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By Tony Hanson

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Twelve jurors have now been selected to hear an historic case, allegations of child abuse by priests and a cover-up by a church official, Monsignor William Lynn.

Although 12 jurors have been selected, the attorneys must still pick 10 alternates because of the expected length of the trial, about three to four months. And opening statements are not scheduled to begin until late March. The court left a large window between jury selection and the taking of evidence in this high-profile, highly charged case.

In this case, two priests are charged with rape, and Monsignor William Lynn is charged with endangering children by allowing these and other alleged predator priests to remain in ministry with access to additional victims. The defendants have pleaded NOT guilty.

The defense for the priests is challenging the credibility of the alleged victims, while Monsignor Lynn’s attorney have argued the evidence shows he did what he could to stop predator priests and he was not part of a conspiracy within the Philadelphia archdiocese.

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Jurors Selected For Philadelphia Priest Sex Abuse Case

Jeannie Guzman

What makes me so upset about this case is that Msgr. Lynn, Cardinal Bevilacqua, Archbishop Cullen and the other archbishop in this case were all highly educated men, with Masters and PhD degrees! They have absolutely no excuse for claiming IGNORANCE, in regard to how highly destructive the actions of their protected, Pedophile Priests were to the children, who were abused! There is absolutely no acceptable excuse for their actions, when it came down to the shredding of the names of not one, but 35 Pedophile Priests! Why is it that not one of them raised an objection to Cardinal Bevilacqua’s decision? Were they nothing more than highly trained monkeys, with advanced Church degrees, running around in clerical garb? Surely, they weren’t real men!
Patrick OMalley

Just to show how despicable Msgr Lynn is, here is a quote from the grand jury report, part of which can be found at http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2006b/042806/042806a.php

Msgr Lynn, secretary for clergy, suggested to Fr. Thomas Shea — who previously admitted sexually abusing two boys — that perhaps he was “seduced into it” by his 10-year-old victim.

Is there any group more despicable than the pedophile protection cult inside the Catholic church?