PA Supreme Court to Hear Msgr. Lynn’s Case
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will decide whether Monsignor William Lynn‘s conviction on child-endangerment charges should stand. An appeals court this winter overturned the conviction, saying the state’s child-endangerment laws did not apply precisely to Lynn, who had been convicted of supervising predator priests while working as an official with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Lynn has been free on bail since that ruling.
The Inquirer reports that the Supreme Court’s ruling will guide future prosecutions:
It could also dictate the standards for prosecutors to bring future charges against any church officials accused of covering up misconduct by clergy they supervise.
The court did not set a date for oral argument or even a briefing schedule for what will be months of legal filings by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office and lawyers for the archdiocese and Lynn.
Lynn was originally sentenced to three to six years in prison.
