Monsignor Lynn, the archdiocese of Philadelphia's secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, was found guilty of endangering a child. The charge stemmed from his handling of Edward Avery, a now-laicized priest jailed for abusing an altar boy during the 1990s.

Judge M. Teresa Sarmina said she believed Monsignor Lynn initially hoped to address the sex abuse problem and perhaps drafted a 1994 list of accused priests for that reason. But when his bishop, the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, instead had the list destroyed, the monsignor chose to remain in his job and obey his bishop — by keeping quiet — as children suffered.

"You knew full well what was right, Monsignor Lynn, but you chose wrong," the judge said.

A copy of the list was retained and forgotten in a locked safe at the archdiocesan pastoral centre.

Prosecutors spent a decade investigating sex abuse complaints kept in secret files at the archdiocese. They issued two damning grand jury reports arguing that Monsignor Lynn and unindicted co-conspirators in the Church administration kept children in danger and the public in the dark.

"He locked away in a vault the names of pedophile priests. He locked in a vault the names of men that he knew had abused children. He now will be locked away for a fraction of the time he kept that secret vault," said District Attorney Seth Williams.

Monsignor Lynn, 61, said: "I did not intend any harm to come to [Avery's victim]. The fact is, my best was not good enough to stop that harm. I am a parish priest. I should have stayed [one]."

His defence lawyer, Thomas Bergstrom, called the sentence "grossly unfair" and "unbelievable".

"He's being punished for things he did properly: He met with victims, he met with accused priests, he documented everything, he sent it up to the cardinal," Bergstrom added.

Sources:

Catholic News Service

Christian Science Monitor

Image: Clerical Whispers

A jury found Monsignor William J. Lynn, the former archdiocesan secretary for clergy under Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, guilty on a charge of child endangerment.

He was acquitted on two other charges, including one of conspiracy. Another conspiracy charge was dropped during the trial.

Monsignor Lynn is the highest-ranking United States Church official to be charged with crimes relating to clergy sexual abuse.

The 61-year-old priest, who was not accused of abuse himself, faces up to seven years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13.

The jury found that, as the archdiocese's chief investigator of clergy misconduct, Monsignor Lynn ignored credible warning signs about a priest who later sexually assaulted a 10-year-old altar boy.

The prosecution argued that his response to claims of abuse against over 20 priests showed he focused on protecting the Church instead of children. They said he lied to some victims and did not seek out others.

The prosecutors also said he suggested to some sexually abusive priests that they may have been seduced by their accusers.

Monsignor Lynn said that prosecutors misconstrued his words and memos. He said medical experts had advised him not to seek out other possible victims because the victims might not want to discuss the abuse.

The verdict in the Philadelphia abuse case followed years of investigation and a trial that put a spotlight on thousands of confidential Church records and decades of complaints of child-sex abuse by priests in the region.

Many files were locked away in the archdiocese's secret archives, cataloguing decades of misconduct allegations against priests.

Sources:

• CNA
• CNS
• Philadelphia Inquirer
• Image: Ppnnfe.com