Clergy

The charges against Msgr. William J. Lynn are narrow: that the former Archdiocese of Philadelphia official endangered children by letting two priests live or work in parishes despite signs they might abuse minors. But the case prosecutors finished presenting Thursday stretched beyond those confines. Day after day in Courtroom 304 of the city's Criminal Justice Center, the church itself seemed to be on trial. Over eight weeks, jurors saw a parade of witnesses and close to 2,000 documents, some decades old, that detailed what bishops, pastors priests, and church officials knew and did about Philadelphia-area priests suspected of abusing children.

One priest said Msgr. William J. Lynn treated victims of clergy sex abuse with compassion. Another testified that Lynn pressed accused priests to enter treatment, and urged his bosses to order hospitalization for any who resisted. A third noted that even regional vicars had more power than the secretary for clergy. The priests took the stand Tuesday as the first witnesses called by the defense in the landmark clergy sex-abuse trial against Lynn, the former clergy secretary for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

One priest said Msgr. William J. Lynn treated victims of clergy sex abuse with compassion. Another testified that Lynn pressed accused priests to enter treatment, and urged his bosses to order hospitalization for any who resisted. A third noted that even regional vicars had more power than the secretary for clergy. The priests took the stand Tuesday as the first witnesses called by the defense in the landmark clergy sex-abuse trial against Lynn, the former clergy secretary for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Even when she finally spoke directly to church officials, the woman expressed doubt they would do anything about her cousin, the Rev. Nicholas V. Cudemo, who she said had molested her for years, beginning at age 10. On this day, Sept. 28, 1991, she told the church officials "he bragged about it. He said he was called downtown [to the archdiocese offices] several times and told about his lifestyle and that nothing has been done about it. " Nor, according to church memos recording his views, did Cudemo seem worried when he was called to the Archdiocesan Office for Clergy on Oct. 2, 1991, and confronted with sex-abuse allegations made by three female cousins and a half-dozen women who were not related.

A few months after she started as operations director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's clergy office in 2005, Louise Sullivan was given a task: Straighten up the file room. The exhaustive grand-jury investigation into alleged sex abuse by priests was over, and the 10th-floor room at the archdiocese's 17th Street headquarters was a mess. Cardboard boxes, files, and papers cluttered the floor. Atop one corner cabinet, Sullivan noticed a small, locked combination safe.

AS AN African-American man, I wonder why every time there is a political election, out of hiding here comes the black clergy. Who are these people? What and who do they represent? What ever happened to the separation of church and state? How much do these guys get paid, is it 30 pieces of silver? Is this considered pay to play? Or should we just start labeling these folks as the "Green clergy"? Ralph P. Goldsborough Yeadon

The topic is domestic violence, and this time the preachers will be getting preached to. The Sabbath of Domestic Peace, a three-year-old effort to combat home violence through faith communities, will conduct its first interfaith worship and healing service Sunday at 3 p.m. at Overbrook Presbyterian Church, City and Lancaster avenues. The service is open to the public, but sponsors say their main audience and target will be clergy. The service will include prayers and readings from Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim scriptures.

It's time, says the Rev. Anthony Floyd, for ministers, evangelists, pastors, and anyone else who believes that spiritual intervention can turn the tide of violence sweeping the city, to be seen, and heard. So beginning at 1 p.m. tomorrow, he and what he hopes will be hundreds of others will march and pray in support of the victims and in protest of the unconscionable killings. The march will start at St. Elizabeth Community Center, 1845 N. 23rd St., and weave through several blocks of North Philadelphia before ending where it started.

Police in the city's Northeast reached out to area clergy last week for help in catching what police have described as a group of Gypsies preying on the elderly. During a meeting Thursday at the Northeast Police Division, Harbison Avenue and Levick Street, police asked the religious leaders to warn their older congregants to be wary of friendly strangers. The clergymen vowed to do what they could to help stop the thieves. On at least six occasions over the last six weeks, elderly Northeast residents have fallen victim to scams.

Hours after a fire in Coatesville destroyed 15 houses and displaced dozens of residents late last month, there was a meeting of local clergy that longtime residents say was unprecedented. Tabernacle Baptist Church was packed with clergy and other representatives of congregations and faith-based nonprofits - neighbors in a small town but often strangers when it comes to working together. One pastor was assigned to oversee clothing donations; another would take care of furniture; a third would blog about relief efforts.

One priest said Msgr. William J. Lynn treated victims of clergy sex abuse with compassion. Another testified that Lynn pressed accused priests to enter treatment, and urged his bosses to order hospitalization for any who resisted. A third noted that even regional vicars had more power than the secretary for clergy. The priests took the stand Tuesday as the first witnesses called by the defense in the landmark clergy sex-abuse trial against Lynn, the former clergy secretary for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

One priest said Msgr. William J. Lynn treated victims of clergy sex abuse with compassion. Another testified that Lynn pressed accused priests to enter treatment, and urged his bosses to order hospitalization for any who resisted. A third noted that even regional vicars had more power than the secretary for clergy. The priests took the stand Tuesday as the first witnesses called by the defense in the landmark clergy sex-abuse trial against Lynn, the former clergy secretary for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The charges against Msgr. William J. Lynn are narrow: that the former Archdiocese of Philadelphia official endangered children by letting two priests live or work in parishes despite signs they might abuse minors. But the case prosecutors finished presenting Thursday stretched beyond those confines. Day after day in Courtroom 304 of the city's Criminal Justice Center, the church itself seemed to be on trial. Over eight weeks, jurors saw a parade of witnesses and close to 2,000 documents, some decades old, that detailed what bishops, pastors priests, and church officials knew and did about Philadelphia-area priests suspected of abusing children.

After calling nearly 50 witnesses and presenting close to 1,900 documents over eight weeks, prosecutors on Thursday rested their case in the landmark trial involving child sex abuse by Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests. The team of district attorneys ended by letting jurors handle what they contend is the closest thing to a smoking gun in the case: a tattered gray folder that had been hidden in a locked safe at archdiocesan offices for more than a decade. Inside were handwritten and typed records, including a list that Msgr.

A few months after she started as operations director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's clergy office in 2005, Louise Sullivan was given a task: Straighten up the file room. The exhaustive grand-jury investigation into alleged sex abuse by priests was over, and the 10th-floor room at the archdiocese's 17th Street headquarters was a mess. Cardboard boxes, files, and papers cluttered the floor. Atop one corner cabinet, Sullivan noticed a small, locked combination safe.

Weeks before prosecutors say he tried to rape a 14-year-old boy, the Rev. James J. Brennan called the clergy office at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. At the time, Brennan had just started a leave of absence to deal with "inner turmoil" he blamed in part on being sexually abused as a child. Brennan complained to Msgr. William J. Lynn, who ran the clergy office, that other priests had been gossiping that he really took the leave so he could "shack up" with one of his former students at Cardinal O'Hara High School.

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said Friday that he had permanently removed five priests from active ministry for sexual abuse or misconduct with minors, and reinstated three others after an investigation could not substantiate similar claims against them. The decisions, which followed a 14-month review, marked one of the largest ousters of active priests in the archdiocese's history. It also validated a February 2011 grand jury report that accused local church leaders of ignoring evidence of clergy sex abuse and stirred new outrage among area Catholics.

Even when she finally spoke directly to church officials, the woman expressed doubt they would do anything about her cousin, the Rev. Nicholas V. Cudemo, who she said had molested her for years, beginning at age 10. On this day, Sept. 28, 1991, she told the church officials "he bragged about it. He said he was called downtown [to the archdiocese offices] several times and told about his lifestyle and that nothing has been done about it. " Nor, according to church memos recording his views, did Cudemo seem worried when he was called to the Archdiocesan Office for Clergy on Oct. 2, 1991, and confronted with sex-abuse allegations made by three female cousins and a half-dozen women who were not related.

THE BATTLE in Harrisburg over school vouchers has placed state Rep. James Roebuck Jr. in political peril to a newcomer with well-heeled campaign contributors. Roebuck, 67, who has represented West Philly's 188th District since 1985, says he is using his post as the ranking Democrat on the state House Education Committee to stymie legislation that would allow tax dollars to be used to pay for private-school tuition. He is being challenged in Tuesday's primary election by Fatimah Muhammad, 27, who favors the voucher plan and tells a compelling story about being homeless as a child and about how education improved her life.

His was the typical Philadelphia Catholic family, the witness said. Mom and Dad were regulars at Mass. He and his sister helped out at the rectory. And no one was held in higher esteem than a priest. "We were raised with the belief that a priest never did anything wrong," he told a Common Pleas Court jury. In that sense, the man, now 45, echoed other alleged abuse victims at the landmark conspiracy and child-sex abuse trial of two Archdiocese of Philadelphia priests.