Saturday, June 23, 2012

Billy Lynn Takes One for The Team

PHILADELPHIA — Msgr. William J. Lynn was found guilty of endangering children, becoming the first senior official of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States convicted of covering up sexual abuses by priests under his supervision. Read more...

To see more of this New York Times article and get the facts, go to the link above. What you get here is a personal reaction from a lapsed (big time lapsed) Catholic.

I congratulate our District Attorneys Williams and Abraham and our brave Grand Jurors on this important conviction. Now get back to fixing the statute of limitations problem please. Archbishop Chaput has been defanged a bit. Thank you.

I take no pleasure in watching this (curiously boyish, chubby, gray, befuddled, cute) Old Man dragged off to the pokey. I think of him taking that book of offenders names from the safe late at night, and adding to it in secret. I think of Lynn keeping it when Rome wanted it destroyed. Think of it.

Monsignor Lynn did all he was allowed by Rome to do: keep his mouth shut. And then he did more. He kept the truth for us when Rome wanted the list of offenders destroyed.

Cardinals Krol and Bevilacqua, princes of the church, died quietly in their beds at home. They used their law degrees to shield child rapists upon orders from the Vatican. They never went to trial after hiding mucho child abuse with holy aplomb for decades. Think of me wailing here like a child "... but it's not fair."

Let me be clear. Monsignor Lynn deserves to go to jail for his part in aiding and abetting kiddyrapers for years. But Lynn is the least of the offenders.

Sure makes you wonder exactly what his fellow priests were applauding at the big dinner, don't it? Was it keeping the secret book of offenders? What heroic act were they applauding? Taking one for the team of course. Like I said.

Msgr. Lynn got standing ovation at Chaput dinner, say those at event:

Msgr. William J. Lynn, the former church official awaiting trial for allegedly protecting sexually abusive priests, drew words of encouragement from Philadelphia's new archbishop and a standing ovation from scores of priests at a private gathering last month, according to people familiar with the event.

During the invitation-only dinner for Archbishop Charles J. Chaput at a parish hall in Montgomery County, Chaput singled out Lynn in the crowd and noted how difficult the ordeal has been for him, according to one priest who attended and two people briefed by others at the gala.

Much of the audience, which included hundreds of priests, then stood and applauded, said the sources, who asked not to be identified.

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