A Philadelphia court has convicted Msgr. William J. Lynn on one count of endangering children, the first instance in which an American Catholic official was found guilty of a cover up in the church’s sexual abuse scandal. Lynn, who was acquitted of a conspiracy charge and a second count of endangerment, was found guilty of ignoring and playing down accusations against priests and reassigning known predators to different parishes.
The ruling represents a milestone for victims advocacy groups, who have pointed to the archdiocese’s leadership as being complicit in the abuse. Lynn will face three-and-a-half to seven years in prison.
Via The New York Times.
