A judge on Monday halted the release of 1,200 pages of grand jury
testimony of a Roman Catholic cardinal relating to his handling of
priest sex-abuse complaints in Philadelphia.
Prosecutors filed
Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua's secret testimony from 2003 to support
conspiracy charges filed this year against a high-ranking church
official, they said in court papers filed Friday.
Monsignor
William Lynn, 60, is charged with conspiracy and child endangerment for
allegedly transferring priest-predators without warning. Lynn served as
secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004, mostly under Bevilacqua.
The
Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday that Bevilacqua, the former
archbishop, had testified that accused priests "would not be able to
function" at new parishes if people were warned of their backgrounds.
Grand
jurors found the leader of the Philadelphia archdiocese "excused and
enabled" the attacks, and was "not forthright" and "untruthful" during
10 grand jury appearances over eight months, the newspaper reported.
He
was not charged because the statute of limitations had run out.
Common
Pleas Judge Lillian Ransom put a hold on the further release of the
grand jury testimony and other documents filed Friday.
She did not
immediately return a call for comment on her action Monday.
Neither side
asked to have the documents sealed, and the court docket did not list
any such seal.
Lynn is the only U.S. church official ever charged in the sex-abuse scandal for his administrative actions.
Four
others — two priests, an ex-priest and a former teacher — are charged
in the same criminal case in Philadelphia with raping boys.
The
prosecution filings Friday came in response to Lynn's motion to have the
charges dismissed.
The motion will be argued at a key hearing Friday.
Defense lawyers assert that he had no children in his care and cannot
therefore be charged with endangering them.
In their 65-page
response, obtained by The Associated Press, prosecutors argue the charge
can apply to anyone with a duty to protect the general "welfare" of
children, and not just those with direct supervision of them.
The
archdiocese was charged with protecting children at its schools and
parishes, prosecutors
wrote.
They said Lynn and other church officials did not necessarily seek to harm children, but "knowingly put them in harm's way."
Lynn's lawyers declined comment Monday, citing an ongoing gag order in the case.