Jury selection delayed in Philly priest abuse case

    Jury selection is set to start Tuesday in the landmark priest sex-abuse trial of a longtime official of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

    Update: Jury selection has been delayed until Wednesday.

    Monsignor William Lynn is the first U.S. church official ever charged for allegedly keeping accused priests in parish work around children.

    The 61-year-old Lynn goes on trial with the Rev. James Brennan and former priest Edward Avery, both charged with rape.

    • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

    Jury selection may take several weeks. Testimony won’t start until late March.

    Prosecutors say Lynn knew about secret files at the archdiocese that held child sex-assault complaints lodged against dozens of priests.

    Lynn’s lawyers say he took orders from Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua from 1992 to 2003.

    Bevilacqua died last month. But jurors might still hear from him, in the videotaped testimony he gave last year.

    WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

    Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

    Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal