Edward Avery, Former Priest, Made 10-Year-Old Boy Do Striptease, Witness Says

A witness testified that a former priest of the Philadelphia Archdiocese made him engage in various sexual acts when he was a 10-year-old altar boy.

WARNING: explicit, sexual language below.

The New Civil Rights Movement points to a Reuters report on a now 23-year-old witness who said Edward Avery forced him to perform a striptease.

"I was swaying back and forth and took off my clothes," the witness said, according to Reuters.

The testimony came during the trial of Monsignor William Lynn, former secretary of the clergy, who is charged with child endangerment and conspiracy. The prosecution claims Lynn tried to cover up abuse accusations made against priests, some of whom were simply transferred to other parishes, Reuters reports.

The witness also said Avery told him that "God loves me, this is what God wants, and it was time for me to become a man," according to CNN.

From CNN:

The boy, now in his 20s, was in the fifth grade when Avery undressed with him in a small storage room, told him that God loved him, had him engage in oral intercourse and then ejaculated on him.

Avery previously pleaded guilty to non-voluntary deviant sexual intercourse and conspiracy to endanger the welfare of a child.

Another witness claimed he was also abused by Avery.

"He had a lot of charisma," the witness said, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. "He was very popular with young people."

The Daily Mail previously reported on an internal document that Lynn is accused of hiding, which says a Philadelphia priest joked about how hard it was to have sex with three boys in one week.