I will get the info on Normand Brun posted today. I was working on it yesterday, then had an appointment and had to set things aside. I am back now going through my notes to get things in some sort of chronological order so it’s easier to follow. I think when you read it the queries on this site over Norm’s reference to “a goldmine” in his CBC TV interview will be put into perspective.
*****
The Philadelphia trial should be going to the jury today:
01 June 2012: Phily priest sex-abuse trial hears heated closing arguments
In closing arguments defence (Thomas Bergstrom) cited Shakepeare and Twelve Angry Men, while the prosecution (Patrick Blessington) quoted form Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King.
It must have been quite a spectacle. The courtroom was, we are told, filled to overflow with Lynn supporters, victim’s advocates, reporters and others.
A good quote from the assistant DA: “He’s spitting on you and telling you it’s raining.” I quite like that 🙂
And this:
“Blessington read just one full document to jurors, a love letter the Rev. Michael Murtha drafted to a seventh-grader at St. Anselm’s Church in Northeast Philadelphia in 1995. In it, Murtha fantasized about oral sex and sadistic acts with the boy.
“The priest never sent the letter. Lynn recommended that Murtha be sent for treatment and later arranged his transfer to other parishes with schools.”
Father Michael Murtha, who was also into gay S&M magazines and videos, was recycled to a parish where he was put in charge of training and managing the altar servers.
As for Bergstrom, he, among other things, took yet another another swing at the man who alleges abuse at the hands of Father William J. Brennan:
“[Bergstrom] argued that the accuser and his family concocted the claim to win a payout from the church.
“’They are dead broke and they are desperate,’ William Brennan said. ‘And desperate people do desperate things.’”
Let’s pray that the jury deliberates the evidence with due diligence and that at the end of the day justice is done.
Enough for now,
Sylvia
A section from above with a few boldprint phrases……
…..a love letter the Rev. Michael Murtha drafted to a seventh-grader at St. Anselm’s Church in Northeast Philadelphia in 1995. In it, Murtha fantasized about oral sex and sadistic acts with the boy.
“The priest never sent the letter. Lynn recommended that Murtha be sent for treatment and later arranged his transfer to other parishes with schools.”
Father Michael Murtha, who was also into gay S&M magazines and videos, was recycled to a parish where he was put in charge of training and managing the altar servers.
Thoughts on this:
Basically 11 weeks of this and the jury needs only a few minutes to gather its papers together.
But Msgr Lynn was only following orders.
Sorry, this doesn’t hold water.
I hope this trial serves as a necessary happening for many trials to come.