From the New
York Times:
Msgr. William J. Lynn was found guilty Friday of one count of
endangering children, becoming the first senior official of the Roman Catholic
Church in the United States to be convicted for covering up child sexual abuses
by priests under his supervision.
The 12-member jury acquited him on a conspiracy charge and a
second count of endangerment after a three-month trial that prosecutors and
victims rights groups considered a milestone in the sexual abuse scandals that
have shaken the Catholic church.
But the mixed verdict was widely seen as a victory for the
district attorney’s office in Philadelphia, which has been investigating the
archdiocese aggressively since 2002 and for victim advocates, who have argued
for years that senior officials should be held accountable.
“Monsignor Lynn’s lawyers have promised to appeal any
conviction, arguing that the law on child endangerment at the time did not
apply to supervisors and that the judge had allowed prejudicial evidence, among
other issues.” Read the full report
here.