A former official in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia was released from prison on Friday after an appeals court overturned his jail sentence for child endangerment.
Mgr William Lynn was released on 3 January after the Superior Court of Pennsylvania ruled that the 2012 conviction of Mgr William Lynn was “fundamentally flawed”.
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia posted US$25,000 bail set by Common Pleas Court Judge Teresa Sarmina. The former chancery official is now required to wear an electronic monitoring tag and report weekly to a probation officer.
Lynn served 18 months of a three-to-six year jail term for child endangerment before a unanimous appeals court ruled his conviction was "fundamentally flawed" on Boxing Day.
He was convicted under a 1972 law that states: "A parent, guardian or other person supervising the welfare of a child under 18 years of age commits a misdemeanour of the second degree if he knowingly endangers the welfare of a child by violating a duty of care, protection or support."
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania ruled against this law as Mgr Lynn supervised the clergy, not the children.
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams plans to appeal against the Supreme Court decision and criticised the Philadelphia archdiocese for arranging bail for Mgr Lynn.
The Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, said in a statement: “Mgr Lynn presents no danger to anyone. He poses no flight risk." The archbishop added: "This reversal is not a matter of technicalities but of legal substance,” though he added the court decision "does not vindicate Mgr Lynn's past decisions".
Archbishop Chaput again vowed that the archdiocese would work hard to root out the possibility of sexual abuse occurring within the Church and restore public trust.
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