Pope to visit prison where convicted monsignor is locked up
Pope to visit prison where convicted monsignor is locked up
PHILADELPHIA — A prison that Pope Francis plans to visit during his U.S. trip houses a former church official jailed for his handling of priest sexual-abuse complaints.
Monsignor William Lynn is serving a minimum three-year sentence after a jury found he endangered children in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Lynn, 64, is housed at the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Center while he appeals his conviction. It’s unclear if he will still be there for the pope’s Sept. 27 visit or whether he would be among the inmates picked to meet with him.
Defense lawyer Thomas Bergstrom said Lynn would no doubt welcome the experience.
Although his lawyers have called him a scapegoat for the Roman Catholic Church, the archdiocese has paid his legal bills since city prosecutors first opened their sweeping probe of priest sexual abuse in 2002, through a high-profile 2012 trial and appeals that continue today. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput has visited Lynn at least once in prison, when Lynn was incarcerated in a state facility hours away.
The pope plans to meet face-to-face with inmates and their families at the city’s largest prison. It’s unclear how many inmates will be chosen or whether their religious affiliations will be a factor. About 1,200 of the approximately 8,000 inmates identify as Catholic.
Lynn, the secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, was the first U.S. church official charged for keeping accused priests on the job. However, a more senior cleric, Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn, was later convicted of a misdemeanor count of failing to report suspected abuse and given two years of probation. The pope accepted his resignation this year.
The Associated Press