Historical trial with Catholic archdiocese begins – targeting those who hid pedophile priests

(CNN) – Opening arguments have begun in Philadelphia in the first case in which an official of a Roman Catholic archdiocese has been accused of protecting abusive priests by moving them from parish to parish. Monsignor William Lynn has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child. Lynn served as the vicar of clergy in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia from 1992 to 2004, a position in which he was responsible for investigating reports that priests had sexually abused children – mostly boys. A grand jury alleged that he knowingly allowed priests accused of abuse to continue in the ministry in roles in which they had access to children, according to the district attorney’s office. Lynn “acted as if his job was to protect the abuser, never the abused,” a January 2011 grand jury report concluded. Read the rest of the story at the CNN blog here: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/03/25/philadelphia-priest-abuse-trial-to-draw-plenty-of-attention/ In a related development, the attitude of another abusive Catholic Priest has been described as “A slap in Face to victims”. Former Belgian bishop, 74-year old Roger Vangheluwe admitted he had abused one of his own nephews for 13 years, beginning from when the boy was just 5 years old. But he said the whole situation was no more than “a little piece of intimacy” and that he paid the boy tens of thousands of euros in support while it lasted. His sexual abuse of another nephew he said was very short. Despite all these, the Priest insisted he had no plans to abandon the priesthood, though he has resigned from the office of Bishop. He said he fully realized what he did was wrong, and often went to confession about it.