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The conviction of Monsignor William Lynn on a single charge of endangering a child was rightly hailed as a significant victory by victims of abuse by priests and their advocates, who for years have complained that the Catholic Church itself was often complicit in the crimes. As secretary for clergy at the Philadelphia archdiocese, historically one of the most important in the country, Lynn was like many church administrators in that he knew the histories of abusive priests and yet did nothing to prevent them from preying on children.

The significance of the verdict in Philadelphia, however, does not end with Lynn’s conviction. Evidence produced in the case offers indisputable proof that Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, an ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church and the head of the Philadelphia Archdiocese from 1988 to 2003, was equally guilty of endangering children.

Bevilacqua, senile and suffering from cancer, died in January and was never formally charged. It is now beyond doubt that the cardinal knew of the existence of sexually abusive priests in his archdiocese and that in 1994 he ordered the shredding of a memo that listed 35 by name. Two weeks after his death, and on the eve of the trial, a copy of the memo that had been preserved in a locked safe surfaced.

The significance of this cannot be overstated. Bevilacqua had testified before two grand juries investigating sex abuse by priests in Philadelphia. “I saw no evidence at the time that we did any cover-up,” he said under oath at one point. His actions, now clearly revealed, amount to willful obstruction of justice. That one of those predatory priests on the list then went on to commit more abuse allows — at least in the court of public opinion — for a retrospective indictment of this one-time pillar of the American Catholic Church.

Indeed, a prosecutor in Lynn’s case at one point referred to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as an “unindicted co-conspirator.” While Lynn was the only church administrator on trial, the evidence on which he was convicted left no doubt that the hierarchy, beginning with Bevilacqua, was greatly to blame for what happened.

Lynn’s conviction sent a clear message: Church administrators now know they will be held accountable for their actions. Bevilacqua himself may have been spared the ultimate judgment, but his legacy as an American prelate is forever tainted by his monumental failure.

JoltinJoe wrote:I re-read the grand jury report the other day. Do you know how much of that "report" had to be disregarded in order for the jury to clear Lynn of conspiracy? Pretty remarkable that essentially 90% of that report was rejected by the jury.

As I said all along, there's no conspiracy and the grand jury report was a huge distortion. Individuals engaged in abuses of judgment, but no conspiracy.

Please post your acknowledgments of how correct I have been proven below. Thank you.

JoltinJoe wrote:There should be a rule that someone with an UNI college equivalency degree can't use the emoticon (uh, that's "smiley" to you).

andy7171 wrote:You know, I'm rarely offered the blood.

D1B wrote:

andy7171 wrote:You know, I'm rarely offered the blood.

Those poor children.

ANA, Calif. - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange settled a clergy abuse lawsuit for $2 million on the day of trial, an attorney for the plaintiff said.

The settlement was reached at 9:30 p.m. Monday after hours of negotiations, attorney Vince Finaldi said.

It resolves a civil lawsuit filed by a 41-year-old decorated Air Force combat pilot who alleged that former Monsignor Michael Harris molested him in 1986, when he was a student at Mater Dei Catholic High School and Harris was principal there.

Harris has never been charged criminally and denies the allegations. His attorney, James Ingram, did not return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment.

He was part of a $5.2 million settlement in 2001 that the Los Angeles and Orange dioceses made with another of his accusers, a former student at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, where Harris worked after he left Mater Dei. Harris was ousted from the priesthood as a condition of that settlement, Finaldi said.

In 2004, the Diocese of Orange agreed to settle nearly 90 clergy abuse lawsuits for $100 million. Nine claims against Harris were included in that settlement and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles listed 12 accusers of Harris in a report on clergy sexual abuse that same year. *But in Joltinian fashion, Harris still denies the charges!

Read more: http://www.kypost.com/dpp/lifestyle/rel ... z1z034KaK7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

D1B wrote: Yet you're the genius on your knees every Sunday with your poor kids eating jesus flesh and drinking jesus blood.

GannonFan wrote:

D1B wrote: Yet you're the genius on your knees every Sunday with your poor kids eating jesus flesh and drinking jesus blood.

Hmm, so much for the idea that you're only in this to address the pedophilia tragedy. You just can't seem to keep your anti-religious sentiment out of it. You say you're only attacking the hierarchy and those that are directly responsible for the actions or for knowing the actions were taking place and doing nothing about it, and then you slip back into the old schtick of hating all things Catholic (and religious really). Sadly it dilutes the attention to the real crimes that have happened.

D1B wrote:

GannonFan wrote:
Hmm, so much for the idea that you're only in this to address the pedophilia tragedy. You just can't seem to keep your anti-religious sentiment out of it. You say you're only attacking the hierarchy and those that are directly responsible for the actions or for knowing the actions were taking place and doing nothing about it, and then you slip back into the old schtick of hating all things Catholic (and religious really). Sadly it dilutes the attention to the real crimes that have happened.

**** you, Ed Hockaliea. Theology Joe takes a shot at me, he gonna get it back.

andy7171 wrote:

D1B wrote:


Those poor children.

Is this a different country? I've never seen the spoon fed thing going on in these last coupla pictures you've posted.

JoltinJoe wrote:

andy7171 wrote: Is this a different country? I've never seen the spoon fed thing going on in these last coupla pictures you've posted.

Not a Roman Catholic service. It looks like some form of Eastern Orthodox.

JoltinJoe wrote:

andy7171 wrote: Is this a different country? I've never seen the spoon fed thing going on in these last coupla pictures you've posted.

Not a Roman Catholic service. It looks like some form of Eastern Orthodox. The robes, the beards, the icon on the wall are giveaways.