William J. Lynn, the former secretary of clergy for the Philadelphia archdiocese, was sentenced to three to six years in prison this morning, according to The Associated Press [1].

Lynn was convicted June 22 [2] on one count of child endangerment for allowing former priest Edward Avery to remain in ministry despite knowledge of past abuse.

Lynn's defense lawyers had sought a minimal sentence of probation without jail time while the Philadelphia district attorney's office pushed for a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Lynn and his lawyers are expected to appeal the decision.

Check back at NCRonline.org [3] throughout the afternoon as we will have more coverage of this breaking story.