The Republic (Columbus, Ohio)
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Posted: October 07, 2011 – 3:01 am
Last Updated: October 07, 2011 – 10:49 am
PHILADELPHIA — A judge will allow prosecutors to have their own medical expert evaluate the retired Roman Catholic archbishop of Philadelphia before a scheduled competency hearing.
It was one of several pretrial motions that Common Pleas Judge Teresa Sarmina ruled on Friday in a criminal priest-abuse case.
Monsignor William Lynn is the first Catholic church official in the U.S. charged with endangering children through priest transfers. Three other priests and a teacher are charged with rape.
Prosecutors want to call retired Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua (bev-uh-LOK’-wuh) to testify, but church lawyers say the former archbishop suffers from cancer and dementia. His competency hearing is Nov. 28.
Also Friday, Sarmina deferred a request from Lynn’s lawyers to move the trial because of pretrial publicity. She denied their request to lift a gag order.
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Comments
A.j. Baselice
The defense lawyers want the gag order lifted so they can put out only the information that will aid and benefit their client, the defense wants to marshal sympathy and public support for these enabling and pedophile monsters who claim to represent the ‘SPIRIT IN THE SKY’!