Msgr. William Lynn Heads Back to Court on Child Endangerment Charges
For immediate release: March 12, 2020
Next week Msgr. William Lynn will be back in court on charges of child endangerment. We hope that he will be convicted – again – by a jury of his peers for his role in covering up a case of child sexual abuse.
Msgr. Lynn’s efforts to reassign a priest accused of molestation to another parish have been well-documented. His argument that he was “only doing his job” was a weak excuse that was rejected by jurors in 2012. We hope that the soon-to-be empaneled jurors in this case will again reject that defense.
We know that the only way for change to truly happen is for truth to be exposed and for those who put children in harm's way to be held accountable for their actions. For years Catholic officials have promised to change how they deal with cases of abuse, but it is the teeth of the law that has forced change.
When those who enable abuse are routinely and harshly punished for it, cover ups will stop. For that simple reason, we hope that Msgr. Lynn is again convicted of child endangerment. We also hope that the message heard by Church leaders around the country is that these are serious crimes for which they can personally be held accountable.
CONTACT: Michael McDonnell, Volunteer Philadelphia Area SNAP Leader ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director