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Read about Bishop Lynch. The hierarchy are corrupt. It is the parish priests and faithful parishioners who keep the church going.

“The sexual misconduct charge against Lynch involved former diocesan employee Bill Urbanski, 42, who reported to Church officials that Lynch had sexually harassed him on numerous occasions.

Church officials said they offered Urbanski another job within the diocese but away from Bishop Lynch in September 2002, but Urbanski turned down the offer. Instead, he was given a $100,000 severance package after he agreed not to file a lawsuit. Actually, the figure is closer to $150,000 if the extended salary payment that qualified Urbanski for vested pension benefits is included.

The entire operation was carried out in almost total secrecy. Lynch’s three loyal subordinates — diocesan attorney, Joseph DiVito, Vicar General Msgr. Brendan Muldoon, and Chancellor Msgr. Robert Gibbons — “reviewed” the complaint against their boss. Only Archbishop John Favalora in Miami was notified of the complaint. Nothing was put in writing. Nevertheless, church officials denied that the payment was “hush money.” “The diocese does not buy silence in St. Petersburg,” said attorney DiVito. He explained that the money came from parishioners, bequeaths, investments and unrestricted accounts. “No funds earmarked for the ministry were used,” DiVito said.

Bishop Lynch’s intimate relationship with bachelor David Herman, a contractor who had moved from Fort Lauderdale to St. Petersburg with Lynch when he was installed as bishop. The two men had vacationed together in Hawaii, San Francisco, Key West, Bermuda, Israel and Rome, sometimes accompanied by Urbanski.

Herman had several things in common with Urbanski, one of them being that both men were triathletes. In March 2000, all three men, that is Herman, Urbanski and Lynch went to West Palm Beach for a weekend. Urbanski said the bishop pressured him to go. When they got to their hotel, Urbanski said that Lynch made him take a steam bath together. Herman, who joined the two men said that Urbanski clearly did not want to be there.

Urbanski said that when Lynch began to make sexual overtures towards him, he tried to avoid the bishop as much as possible. “I tried to avoid him as the years progressed, without him getting mad at me. I couldn’t have him mad at me. It was a tough day at work if he was mad at me, yet I couldn’t leave. He went as far as to tell me how to wear my hair. If I got my hair cut, he would say, ‘Oh, Bill. You need to grow your hair back. It’s not a flattering haircut for you.’” He said that when he and Bishop Lynch traveled together the bishop always insisted on sharing rooms, and sometimes appeared naked from the shower.

he (Urbanski) was frequently the recipient of the bishop’s largesse — watches, designer clothing and other expensive items. Urbanski said at first he was grateful, until he realized that the gifts came at a price — more time, attention, and ultimately sexual favors for the bishop.

Lynch, as Corporation Sole of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, had awarded Herman highly inflated new construction contracts totaling $30.3 million on a non-competitive bid basis even though diocesan regulations mandate open bidding for church construction work.”