Philadelphia, Pa., Jul 24, 2012 / 15:28 pm
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia offered prayer and a pledge to protect children July 24, as Monsignor William Lynn received a three to six year prison sentence for his handling of an abusive priest.
"From the challenges the Church has faced both nationally and locally over the past decade, we understand the full gravity of sexual abuse," the archdiocese said in its response to the sentence handed down by Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina on Tuesday.
In a statement released after the sentencing, the archdiocese reaffirmed its commitment "to protecting children and caring for victims," while also offering its prayers "for Msgr. Lynn and his family at this difficult time."
Msgr. Lynn, the archdiocese's secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, was found guilty June 22 on one felony count of endangering a child. The charge stemmed from his response to the case of Edward Avery, a now-laicized priest serving a jail sentence for abusing an altar boy during the 1990s.