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	Ex Canadian Bishop Turns Self in to Face Child Porn Charges AFP October 1, 2009 http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gZn2sacMqIpzx91HIqgvwVlL00rg OTTAWA — A Canadian Catholic bishop turned himself in to Ottawa police Thursday to face charges of importing and possessing child pornography after graphic images were found on his laptop computer. A nationwide warrant had been issued for the arrest of Raymond Lahey, 69, who resigned as bishop of the diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia over the weekend. His arrival at an Ottawa police station, accompanied by his lawyer, was broadcast live nationwide. "He is in custody now," Constable Alain Boucher told reporters. "He will be processed, told what specific charges he faces, fingerprinted and photographed, then given a chance to (speak with) his lawyer and possibly questioned by investigators," he said. Thereafter, Lahey "will be brought before a justice for a bail hearing later today or first thing tomorrow," said the Ottawa police spokesman. "It's up to the court to decide if he will be released." Canadian customs officials at the Ottawa airport had found the images during a random search of Lahey's laptop computer in mid-September as he returned from the United States. The computer was seized and Ottawa police issued a warrant on Friday for Lahey's arrest following an investigation for allegedly importing and possessing child pornography. Before news of the charges became public, Lahey resigned from his post on Saturday, telling his flock that he needed time for "personal renewal." Church officials on Thursday urged the congregation not to lose faith after many expressed anger and shock over the news from the previous day that Lahey could be associated to such behavior. "I am well aware that everyone is in shock," said Archbishop Anthony Mancini, who has taken over as interim apostolic administrator for the Antigonish diocese. "I am concerned with all who are trying to find any meaning in this devastation," he told a press conference. "I want to encourage parishioners to draw on each others' faith as you carry this painful burden and grieve for the losses that we are experiencing." Only months ago, Lahey had brokered a landmark settlement worth 13 million Canadian dollars (12 million US) with more than a dozen people who claimed to have been sexually abused by priests in the diocese dating back to 1950. He was widely praised for his efforts. In August, he offered the victims and their families apologies on behalf of the Church and said he "hoped to never again have to deal with such reprehensible behavior." Canada, like the United States, has been rocked by a series of sexual scandals involving clergy that came to light only at the end of the last century. A case in point is that of Archbishop Alphonsus Penny of Newfoundland, who quit in February 1991 after being accused of not acting to prevent sexual abuse of boys at an orphanage in his diocese. Five years later, Bishop Hubert O'Connor of the Prince George diocese was sentenced by a court to two and a half years in prison for sexually abusing two adolescents who were students under his supervision at a school in the 1960s. In April, Pope Benedict XVI expressed regret over these abuse of aboriginal children at Church-run boarding schools in Canada since the late 1800s and deemed the conduct of certain members of the Church in this regard to be "deplorable" during a visit to the Vatican by a delegation of Canadian aboriginal leaders.
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