Where the Rubber Hits the Road

Now that the civil authorities have rendered their punishment, it is time for the Church to do the same. Lahey must now be punished for his crimes against canon law as well. Hard to see how this will be difficult for the Vatican to know which way to act. Let's just review the salient points: 1. convicted of possessing and importing child porn 2. admits to being in a gay relationship for the past 10 years 3. admits to having had multiple gay one night stands 4. had sex toys in his luggage when returning from a country noted for child sex trade 5. admits to a predilection for images that combine bondage and religious symbols If he were just a priest, he'd be gone so fast he wouldn't know what hit him. It should not be any different for Lahey. He must be removed for every and any ministry. The only question to be settled is does he get kicked out completely or will the Pope sentence him to a monastery for an enforced life of silence and separation from the ...

The announcement of Bishop Brian Dunn as new bishop of Antigonish has set off another firestorm of allegations against God, the Church and priests within the comments threads of the CBC new website. Join the fray and help defend the Church we love and serve. Fr. Tim

It’s business as usual in the Catholic Church. Some seven weeks have passed since Bishop Raymond Lahey was arrested in Ottawa on child pornography charges. The bishop had recently presided over a $15-million dollar legal settlement for victims who had been abused by priests in the Antigonish Diocese dating back to 1950. That settlement elicited allegations of sexual abuse by priests that had to that point remained unspoken. But now all the hushed whispers were coming to the fore. The numbers of young boys callously deprived of their youth and their innocence by sick and manipulating clergy throughout many of the small communities that make up the diocese escaped from soft murmur into open, public conversation. And it was almost too much for many churchgoers to bear. Then a bishop, the very bishop who had brokered the settlement for abuse victims, was charged with possessing and transporting child pornography. It was enough to make Archbishop Anthony Mancini, the man now in charge...

Here is the response of Archbishop Currie (St. John's NFLD) to the charges faced by Bishop (emeritus) Lahey. http://www.stjohnsarchdiocese.nf.ca/Lahey%20ltr%20parishes.pdf

In the editorial section of Cornwall’s Standard Freeholder the following Letter to the editor was written by Bishop Paul-André Durocher on October 2, 2009. In the letter he expresses his shock and shame, bewilderment, and sorrow. “My heart goes out to all those who have been deeply shaken by this revelation. My prayers are offered for all of us.” Here is his full letter: Shocked By Charges Against Fellow Bishop: I imagine most readers of this newspaper have been shocked and scandalized at the news that a Canadian bishop has been charged with possession of child pornography. I share their shock, I also feel a great sense of shame that a fellow bishop could have been involved in such a horrible activity. The seriousness of the charge and the immediate resignation of the accused shakes our confidence in his presumed innocence. It also undermines our trust in all persons in positions of authority, including those who, like Bishop Lahey, have used their authority positively to heal breach...

Check out this article published in the National Post by Fr. Raymond de Souza (Kingston). He provides a balanced and nuanced perspective on the Bishop Lahey scandal. A link to his column archive at the National Post is included in my "favorite links" section of this blog. The article that this link will bring you to was published on 8/10/09. http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=41d8fc0f-6db1-4fb0-ba8b-d425d6d650d4

Comments re the Arrest of Bishop Lahey My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, On September 30th, at the Eucharist, we read from the Book of Nehemiah and I preached about the expression “sadness of the heart,” a deep profound pain that cannot be adequately expressed in simple language but only by way of an image. Little did I realize how apt that image would be for so many of us when it was announced that Bishop Lahey was charged with the possession and importation of child pornography. Our sadness, pain and anger seem boundless. I had hoped that we had finally rounded the corner on all the abuse situations within the church and on the part of its shepherds. In August, the Diocese of Antigonish reached a multi-million dollar settlement with known and alleged child victims of sexual abuse by priests. Bishop Lahey apologized and noted that they were entitled to protection. He said: “Sexual abuse, indeed, any abuse, is wrong. It is a crime and it is a serious sin in the eyes of God. ...

Archbishop Anthony Mancini distributed a letter to the Catholic communities in Nova Scotia in the wake of the Bishop Raymond Lahey child pornography scandal. It is an excellent example of a Bishop directly, powerfully, and personally confronting the most important issue facing the Canadian Catholic Church today: the erosion of faith and moral suasion in the Church due to the malfeasance (sexual and other) of its' clergy. I offer to you a link which will bring you to this letter for your consideration. http://www.catholichalifax.org/images/stories/BishopOffice/2009%2010%2002%20All%20RC%20of%20NS.pdf