The Philadelphia judge presiding over the Philadelphia criminal case in which a Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia church official is charged with endangering youths allegedly abused by priests declined to recuse herself from the case after she remarked during an earlier proceeding, according to defense lawyers in the case, that someone would have to be living on another planet to not think there is widespread child sex abuse in the church.
Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge M. Teresa Sarmina said she phrased her comment about sex abuse in the past tense. But defense counsel said they were not misquoting the judge.
