A Pennsylvania court overturned the conviction of the first senior U.S. Roman Catholic Church official to be found guilty of covering up child sex abuse by a priest and ordered he be freed on Thursday.

Monsignor William Lynn was convicted in June 2012 of endangering the welfare of a child by reassigning a priest with a history of sɛҳuąƖ abuse to a Philadelphia parish that was unaware of his past.

That priest, Edward Avery, later pleaded guilty to sɛҳuąƖly assaulting a 10-year-old altar boy in the Philadelphia parish. Lynn, who was not accused of personally molesting children, was sentenced to a three-to-six-year prison term.

On Thursday, a unanimous Superior Court of Pennsylvania appeals panel reversed Lynn's conviction and ordered him discharged from prison, saying the case was "not supported by sufficient evidence."

Lynn's attorney, Thomas Bergstrom, said the ruling demonstrated Lynn should never have been prosecuted, and added he expects Lynn to be released within days.

Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams said in a statement he would most likely appeal.

Lynn served as secretary for clergy for the Philadelphia Archdiocese from 1992 to 2004 and, in that role, had access to the archdiocese's secret archives - a repository of information on infractions by its priests - according to the court papers.

http://news.yahoo.com/pennsylvania-court-overturns-catholic-priest-39-conviction-sex-192922217.html

Lynn was found guilty of endangering the victim of Edward Avery, a former priest convicted in 1999 of sɛҳuąƖ assault.

He had declared Avery guilty of an earlier complaint by 1994, and helped steer him into a treatment programme. But he also knew that Avery was later sent to live in a new parish, where he assaulted an altar boy.

"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," Lynn said. "I am a parish priest. I should have stayed [as one]."

The sentence handed down was less than the maximum seven-year penalty prosecutors had sought for Lynn's conviction on one count of child endangerment.

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So by his own words he was guilty of being wildly optimistic and negligent.  He knew the priest was a paedophile and stayed silent.

Admittedly, that is no worse than 1000s of novus Ordo priests, but, frankly, they should perhaps all do a year or two in jail too, in order to learn a lesson in realism.

Newchurch brought this curse on itself and I won't shed a tear for any of their priests who in anyway helped to cover the tracks of sodomite and pederasts.  If I had my way I would build an enormous bonfire and burn the lot of them and rid the world of this scourge for a few generations.

I think Poche just likes being contrary to get a rise out of people.

Poche, the title you gave to this thread just shows your ongoing bias.  How can you possibly read that article and come away with the title "Declared Innocent"?  

The court said there wasn't enough evidence.  

Not enough evidence does not = innocent.

That is how it is in the United States. The accused is presumed to be innocent until proved guilty. The alleged crime occured in the 1990s yet the statute he was convicted of was passed in 2007. This is an ex post facto conviction, a violation of the United States constitution. He was accused of being negligent in making priestly assignments to parished. Canon Law gives that responsability to the bishop of the diocese, in that case Archbishop Bevilacqua. The "victim" had major credibility issues.

Poche,

Is this guy the kind of cleric you think praiseworthy?  Or worthy of being defended?

Pray for his wicked soul - yes!

Cheer him on for seeming to get a pass from the same kind of "law court" that approves of abortion laws - no!  

Independent insurance industry statistics show that protestant/evangelical denominations have a 20% higher rate of sɛҳuąƖ abuse allegations against children than RCC priests. Source ABC News 20/20 Preacher Predators segment April, 2007.

LINK

ABC NEWS

The Catholic Church has been widely criticized for how it handled instances of priests sɛҳuąƖly abusing young people. And a six-month investigation by "20/20" found Protestant ministers, supposed men of God from every denomination, sɛҳuąƖly abusing the children who trusted them. The investigation uncovered "preacher predators" in every corner of the country.

Independent insurance industry statistics show that protestant/evangelical denominations have a 20% higher rate of sɛҳuąƖ abuse allegations against children than RCC priests. Source ABC News 20/20 Preacher Predators segment April, 2007.

LINK

ABC NEWS

Quote

The Catholic Church has been widely criticized for how it handled instances of priests sɛҳuąƖly abusing young people. And a six-month investigation by "20/20" found Protestant ministers, supposed men of God from every denomination, sɛҳuąƖly abusing the children who trusted them. The investigation uncovered "preacher predators" in every corner of the country.

Nothing there about 20% higher rate. It says 'a six-month investigation by "20/20"'.

I don't care if the prot preachers have a 90% higher rate than priests.  That in no way negates the abuse by Catholic priests, which I (and it looks like the world in general) hold to a higher standard.

Amen.  To whom less is given, less shall be exected.  These men were given the grace and power of the holy priesthood and betrayed in in pretty much the most horrible way possible.