No, I'm not talking about the hiring of Chip Kelly away from the Oregon Ducks (who play all of ten minutes from my home). Here is the surprising news, as mentioned by David Pierre, Jr., a contributor to CWR, on his MediaReport.com site:
The conviction of Philadelphia's Msgr. William J. Lynn last June was historic and widely trumpeted by an overheated media, as Lynn became the first member of the Catholic hierarchy to be found guilty in a criminal court for endangering children.
And the sole reason Lynn sits in jail today is because former priest Edward Avery had pleaded guilty to sexually violating a 10-year-old boy in the late 1990s. Prosecutors claimed that Lynn should not have placed Avery into a ministry assignment because the priest had a prior abuse accusation dating back to the 1970s. Had Lynn kept Avery out of public ministry, prosecutors charged, he would not have been able to abuse the 10-year-old.
But in a truly shocking development, Avery took the witness stand today in a Philadelphia courtroom and recanted under oath his guilty plea.
This remarkable turn-around indicates that Msgr. Lynn may likely be sitting in jail based on a crime that never even happened!
couple of crucial typo mix ups in your citation, which should read:
"A 2011 grand jury report said that after Father Engelhardt had sex with Billy in the sacristy at St. Jerome's, he told Father Avery [you have repeated 'Fr. Engelhardt' here] about it. According to that grand jury report, Father Avery [repeated incorrect naming of 'Fr. Engelhardt'] allegedly went to Billy and said he heard about his "session" with Father Engelhardt, and that Billy's sessions with Father Avery would soon begin. Then Avery raped the boy."
Posted by: Clare Krishan | Friday, January 18, 2013 at 03:04 PM
smokey joe's and st agatha-st james parish--my old stomping grounds in west philly. sad to hear some of these despicable evil acts took place there.
Posted by: rd | Friday, January 18, 2013 at 08:42 PM