Catholic Official Sentenced to Prison for Covering Up Child Abuse by Church Leaders

Monsignor William J. Lynn — a Catholic official who covered up sexual abuse in the Church, “shielded predatory priests, sometimes transferring them to unwary new parishes.” and lied to the public about it — was sentenced to 3-6 years in prison today. It’s not enough to make up for the damage he’s caused — hell, Penn State arguably got a harsher sentence — but it could be a warning sign to any other Catholic priests who think they can get away with hiding the Church’s crimes.

… prosecutors urged the judge to impose the maximum penalty. They told the court last week that the gravity of Monsignor Lynn’s crime — giving known sexual predators continued access to children, causing lifelong anguish and damages to some — was “off the charts.” They wrote that Monsignor Lynn had refused to accept responsibility and had an “apparent lack of remorse for anyone but himself.”

…

“I think this is going to send a very strong signal to every bishop and everybody who worked for a bishop that if they don’t do the right thing they may go to jail,” said Rev. Thomas J. Reese, a senior fellow of the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University and a Jesuit priest. “They can’t just say the bishop made me do it, that’s not going to be an excuse that holds up in court.”

This makes Lynn the first Catholic official in America to go to prison for covering up the Church’s crimes but not committing abuse himself.

Let’s hope other Catholic monsters join him in prison soon.

(via Joe. My. God.)