Philadelphia -- A defrocked priest accused of sex abuse in the pedophilia scandal that has rocked the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia pleaded guilty yesterday, just days before he, another priest and a higher-ranking monsignor were scheduled to go to trial.
Edward Avery, 69, admitted to sex abuse involving a 10-year-old boy and was sentenced to 2 1/2 to five years in prison for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and criminal conspiracy to endanger the welfare of children.
The trial is to begin on Monday with the Rev. James Brennan, who is charged with child-sex abuse, and Monsignor William Lynn, the former secretary of the clergy for the Archdiocese, who is accused of child endangerment and conspiracy.
