I wasn’t quite sure what to expect as I settled into the pew at the 5 o’clock Mass Saturday afternoon.
I get the feeling I was not alone.
The mood at St. Joseph’s Parish in Downingtown was decidedly nervous.
Our pastor, the Rev. Monsignor William Lynn, had been charged earlier in the week by the Philadelphia district attorney with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. A grand jury had found, much like another investigative body had five years earlier, that Monsignor Lynn had known about problem priests in his role as secretary of the clergy under then Archbishop Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and done nothing to stop them. Worse, they alleged that the monsignor had knowingly put children at risk by assigning these priests to new parishes without informing the faithful of their past, and also for playing hardball with those who came forward to file complaints of sexual abuse against priests.
I was wondering if the monsignor would be there, as he had five years earlier when he vowed he would “never put a child at risk,” and earned a standing ovation for his comments.
I wondered then if those offering such support had actually read the grand jury report, and its scathing description of Lynn’s work as a high-ranking archdiocesan official.
Lynn escaped charges back then. Not this time.
And there were no such cheers this time around. Only a quiet tension.
Monsignor Joseph Marino celebrated the Mass. He’s the vicar for Chester County, as well as the pastor at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Tredyffrin. He set the tone at the outset by informing parishioners he had been sent by Cardinal Justin Rigali. He did not try to dodge or sugar-coat the issue. Instead he asked for prayers for the victims of sexual abuse, as well as Monsignor Lynn.
During his homily, Monsignor Marino indicated Monsignor Lynn would be “taking time away from the church.”
I received an e-mail from a fellow parishioner at St. Joe’s over the weekend. He thanked me for writing about the issue last week. Even though my immediate readership is here in Delaware County, I have to remind myself every once in awhile that in this Internet age I am writing for a much-wider audience.
Today comes word that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be named in a lawsuit alleging they failed to take action to prevent the sexual abuse of children, and in fact conspired to cover up criminal acts.
I distinctly remember five years ago when I first read the grand jury report detailing the archdiocese’s dealings with predator priests, and in particular Monsignor Lynn’s alleged role in it.
That was exactly the word that came to mind: Cover-up.
Almost six years later, it would seem not enough has changed.
I happen to believe Monsignor Lynn likely was doing the bidding of those above him. Now he is about to take the fall.
Still, I have a hard time reckoning how a man – let alone a priest - could routinely do what he is alleged to have done – and not raised a voice in protest.
And I get the feeling that, this time, I was not the only sitting in those pews that felt that way.
I get the feeling I was not alone.
The mood at St. Joseph’s Parish in Downingtown was decidedly nervous.
Our pastor, the Rev. Monsignor William Lynn, had been charged earlier in the week by the Philadelphia district attorney with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. A grand jury had found, much like another investigative body had five years earlier, that Monsignor Lynn had known about problem priests in his role as secretary of the clergy under then Archbishop Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and done nothing to stop them. Worse, they alleged that the monsignor had knowingly put children at risk by assigning these priests to new parishes without informing the faithful of their past, and also for playing hardball with those who came forward to file complaints of sexual abuse against priests.
I was wondering if the monsignor would be there, as he had five years earlier when he vowed he would “never put a child at risk,” and earned a standing ovation for his comments.
I wondered then if those offering such support had actually read the grand jury report, and its scathing description of Lynn’s work as a high-ranking archdiocesan official.
Lynn escaped charges back then. Not this time.
And there were no such cheers this time around. Only a quiet tension.
Monsignor Joseph Marino celebrated the Mass. He’s the vicar for Chester County, as well as the pastor at Our Lady of Assumption Church in Tredyffrin. He set the tone at the outset by informing parishioners he had been sent by Cardinal Justin Rigali. He did not try to dodge or sugar-coat the issue. Instead he asked for prayers for the victims of sexual abuse, as well as Monsignor Lynn.
During his homily, Monsignor Marino indicated Monsignor Lynn would be “taking time away from the church.”
I received an e-mail from a fellow parishioner at St. Joe’s over the weekend. He thanked me for writing about the issue last week. Even though my immediate readership is here in Delaware County, I have to remind myself every once in awhile that in this Internet age I am writing for a much-wider audience.
Today comes word that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will be named in a lawsuit alleging they failed to take action to prevent the sexual abuse of children, and in fact conspired to cover up criminal acts.
I distinctly remember five years ago when I first read the grand jury report detailing the archdiocese’s dealings with predator priests, and in particular Monsignor Lynn’s alleged role in it.
That was exactly the word that came to mind: Cover-up.
Almost six years later, it would seem not enough has changed.
I happen to believe Monsignor Lynn likely was doing the bidding of those above him. Now he is about to take the fall.
Still, I have a hard time reckoning how a man – let alone a priest - could routinely do what he is alleged to have done – and not raised a voice in protest.
And I get the feeling that, this time, I was not the only sitting in those pews that felt that way.
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