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Philadelphia Prosecutors Seek Rehearing Of Monsignor's Case

PHILADELPHIA (CBS/AP) — Philadelphia's district attorney has asked a state appeals court to take another look at the case of a Roman Catholic church official whose conviction over his handling of sex-abuse cases was overturned last week.

Monsignor William Lynn has been imprisoned intermittently since his 2012 trial and remains in custody.

District Attorney Seth Williams on Monday asked the full state Superior Court to hear the case. A three-judge panel of the same court ruled 2-1 a week ago to award Lynn a new trial.

The panel said the trial judge erred in allowing weeks of testimony from 21 accusers to show how the Philadelphia Archdiocese handled sex-abuse complaints.

Williams says he'll appeal the finding to the state Supreme Court if necessary.

"He is absolutely a wonderful man. He's a priest that all he ever wanted to do was minister to his parish," Lynn's attorney Tom Bergstrom told Eyewitness News.

Bergstrom told Eyewitness News he visited Lynn two weeks ago, and speaks to him frequently by phone.

"We've been chasing justice for four years and I thought maybe we finally caught it, and maybe we did, but we'll see," Bergstrom said.

(TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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