Philadelphia priest says cardinal ordered abuse list shredded

[hue]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-crime-priesttre81n1wd-20120224,0,7208969.story

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The highest ranking cleric charged in a Philadelphia child abuse scandal asked a judge on Friday to dismiss his case because his boss - the late Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua - ordered the shredding of a list he made of predator priests.

Lawyers for Monsignor William Lynn, 61, filed the motion to dismiss conspiracy and child endangerment charges as jury selection in the case was underway in Common Pleas Court.

The real criminals, the lawyers argued in court documents, were Bevilacqua, who died last month, and his closest advisors. These included Lynn's former supervisor Monsignor James Molloy, who died in 2006, now retired Bishop Edward Cullen of Allentown and Bishop Joseph Cistone, now head of the diocese in Saginaw, Michigan, none of whom were charged in the case.

[DeSwiss]

1. ....

[HeiressofBickworth]

2. They're wrong about one thing

The ones who have died are merely the ones who tried to cover it up. The real criminals are still in their parishes molesting children.

[lunasun]

3. That's OK as long as they were not using birth control

[zbdent]

8. can't get little boys pregnant ...

so it must be OK!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

16. according to reports from that commission a few years ago,

20% of the victims were little girls.

[sarcasmo]

11. +1

[rug]

4. I don't see how this is a legal ground to dismiss the charges against him.

[Jackpine Radical]

5. Lack of evidence?

[rug]

7. If he was in a meeting and destroyed evidence, he just convicted himself of conspiracy.

[Jackpine Radical]

12. Maybe it comes down to whether or not they can get him

for the destruction of evidence.

[rug]

13. Another article states their rationale.

"They say the shredding directive proves what Lynn has long claimed: that a church conspiracy to conceal clergy sex abuse was orchestrated at levels far above him.

"'It is beyond doubt that Msgr. Lynn was completely unaware of this act of obstruction,' attorneys Jeffrey Lindy and Thomas Bergstrom wrote."

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20120225_Court_filing__Bevilacqua_ordered_shredding_of_memo_identifying_suspected_abusers.html

I'm still dubious.

[SunSeeker]

9. "I was following orders" is not a defense, it's an admission. nt

[beac]

10. How long before Rick Santorum issues a statement explaining how

liberalism is responsible for the shredding?

[saras]

14. They were forced to do it by the ghosts of aborted zygotes - think Santorum would approve?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

17. until Mitt's group gets their dirty paws on the corpses, and turns them mormon.

[Jackpine Radical]

15. Well, liberalism IS responsible.

They wouldn't have had to shred if liberal busybodies weren't all over the place attacking time-honored traditions, convincing little boys that priests don't have the right to bugger them, stirring up all this prosecution and civil damges nonsense.

Goddam meddlers.