Of the five criminal cases, the one against Msgr. William J. Lynn marks the first time in the nation that a member of the Catholic hierarchy has been charged with child endangerment... On Friday, the District Attorney's Office added conspiracy charges against Lynn and the others..." "...In addition to Brennan, two priests, a defrocked priest, and the teacher face criminal charges at the recommendation of a grand jury, which blasted the archdiocese last month for harboring sexually abusive priests. The archdiocese has placed 24 priests on administrative leave since the report was made public early last month.
That should be interesting.
Brennan is charged with raping a teenage boy in Chester County in 1998. He declined to comment as he left the courthouse..." "They include the Rev. Charles Engelhardt, 64, an Oblate priest; Edward Avery, 68, the defrocked priest; and Bernard Shero, 48, a former parochial schoolteacher, all charged with sodomizing or raping a 10-year-old altar boy at St. Jerome's Parish in Northeast Philadelphia in 1996.
Mon, Mar. 21, 2011
“Philly Archdiocese Faces Latest Priest Abuse Suit”
MARYCLAIRE DALE
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA - “The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is facing the fourth in a recent string of civil lawsuits over the alleged sexual abuse of children by priests.
Monday’s suit is filed by an Arizona man who says he was abused at Our Lady of Cavalry in Philadelphia from 1988 to 1991.
The former altar boy, identified only as ‘John Doe,’ says the offending priest continued to work around children despite repeated complaints to the archdiocese.”
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20110321_ap_phillyarchdiocesefaceslatestpriestabusesuit.html