Philadelphia Monsignor William Lynn convicted of child endangerment

Monsignor William Lynn, a Roman Catholic church official, was convicted on Friday on one count of child endangerment but acquitted of conspiracy in Philadelphia's clergy child sex abuse trial, according to CBS News.

Reuters reports that makes Lynn the highest-ranking American Roman Catholic official convicted in the church's abuse scandal.

The jury acquitted Lynn on two other counts, Reuters reports. He faces a maximum of up to seven years in prison for the conviction.

The jury had a hard time reaching a verdict, deliberating 13 days before reaching a decision. As recently as Wednesday the jurors announced they were deadlocked on four of the five charges, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

More from GlobalPost: Philadelphia archdiocese defrocks 5 priests

Lynn oversaw about 800 priests in the Philadelphia Archdiocese from 1992 to 2004 and was accused of trying to hide allegations of sexual abuse by shuffling priests to new positions, Reuters reported.

Philadelphia is the sixth-largest archdiocese in the US with some With 1.5 million members.

More from GlobalPost: Ireland's top Catholic Sean Brady urged to step down over sex abuse

Will you support The World? 

The story you just read is accessible and free to all because thousands of listeners and readers contribute to our nonprofit newsroom. We go deep to bring you the human-centered international reporting that you know you can trust. To do this work and to do it well, we rely on the support of our listeners. If you appreciated our coverage this year, if there was a story that made you pause or a song that moved you, would you consider making a gift to sustain our work through 2024 and beyond?