PHILADELPHIA – Msgr William Lynn, the highest-ranking clergyman convicted in the US Catholic Church scandal, was sentenced yesterday to up to six years in prison for covering up child sex abuse by priests in Philadelphia.
Judge M Teresa Sarmina told Lynn (61), the former secretary of the clergy for the Philadelphia archdiocese, that he protected “monsters in clerical garb who molested children”. Sentenced to three to six years in prison, Lynn had faced the maximum sentence of up to seven years behind bars for his conviction on a single count of child endangerment. Lynn, who oversaw the work of 800 priests, was convicted of covering up sex-abuse allegations, often by transferring predatory priests to unsuspecting parishes.
His case, which was closely watched by the Vatican, followed a series of child abuse scandals that hit the church in the US and in Europe. “He was the master of deception,” said lead prosecutor Patrick Blessington at the sentencing in Philadelphia Common Pleas Court. “We’re talking about children being raped.” – (Reuters)