"Philadelphias Msg. William Lynn is Convicted of Allowing Sexual Abuse" NY Times/ "Church Cuts Jobs Amid Philadelphia Church Sex Abuse Scandal"/Reuters

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/us/philadelphias-msg-william-j-lynn-is-convicted-of-allowing-abuse.html?pagewanted=all
Archbishop’s Aide Guilty of Endangerment in Abuse Case 
By JON HURDLE and ERIK ECKHOL
PHILADELPHIA —" Msgr. William J. Lynn, a former archbishop’s aide, was found guilty Friday of endangering children, becoming the first senior official of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States to be convicted of covering up child sexual abuses by priests under his supervision. 
The 12-member jury acquitted Monsignor Lynn, of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, on a conspiracy charge and a second count of endangerment after a three-month trial that prosecutors and victims rights groups called a milestone in the sexual abuse scandals that have shaken the Catholic church.

The single guilty verdict was widely seen as a victory for the district attorney’s office, which has been investigating the archdiocese aggressively since 2002, and it was hailed by victim advocates who have argued for years that senior church officials should be held accountable for concealing evidence and transferring predatory priests to unwary parishes.

Monsignor Lynn, 61, sat impassively as the jury foreman announced the verdicts, but some relatives behind him were in tears. Judge M. Teresa Sarmina of the Common Pleas Court revoked his bail and the monsignor stood up, removed his black clerical jacket and was led from the courtroom by sheriff’s deputies. His conviction could result in a prison sentence of three-and-a-half to seven years; sentencing was set for Aug. 13.

The trial sent a sobering message to church officials and others overseeing children around the country, a message punctuated by the conviction of Monsignor Lynn, who was an aide to the late Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua."       

By Dave Warner

PHILADELPHIA | Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:10pm EDT

(Reuters) - The beleaguered Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, beset by criminal and civil lawsuits related to a child sex abuse scandal, said on Thursday it is bleeding money and will lay off 45 people and close its 117-year-old newspaper.

"Archbishop Charles Chaput said the 1.5 million member archdiocese faces a $17 million shortfall in the next fiscal year, which Chaput said does not take into account another $10 million in legal and investigatory expenses over the past several months.

"The extraordinary legal and professional costs of the past 16 months, while burdensome, played little role in the current budget decisions," Chaput said in a statement.

Among those more recent costs are the legal bills for Monsignor Charles Lynn, whose fate is now being decided by the jury presiding over his conspiracy and child endangerment trial in Common Pleas Court in Philadelphia. Lynn, 61, is the most senior U.S. church official to go to trial in the Roman Catholic church's pedophilia scandal."


Bridget Mary's Reflection:
It is about time that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church is held accountable for the horrific sexual abuse of children. This sends the message that the old order of clericalism is bankrupt ( in reality that is becoming more and more the case) It is time for a more open, accountable and inclusive Catholic Church that puts the welfare of children ahead of protecting the reputation of the institution. Who would ever think Philadelphia would witness such a spectacle?