Canadian Press
October 5, 2009
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jtSCABzJgOXkzrzVAGz1Dshcd0Nw
ST. JOHN'S — The Roman Catholic Church says an allegation made two decades ago about a bishop who is facing child pornography charges was passed on to the archbishop of St. John's, N.L., at the time.
In a statement released Monday, Archbishop Martin Currie of St. John's says a review shows Rev. Kevin Molloy did have a conversation with Shane Earle about what he asserts he saw when he was a teenager in the home of Raymond Lahey, who was a priest in the 1980s in the St. John's area.
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| Bishop Raymond Lahey arrives at a police station in Ottawa, Can., Thursday Oct.1, 2009. Photo by AP |
Lahey recently resigned as bishop of the diocese of Antigonish in Nova Scotia, shortly before it became public that he was charged with possessing and importing child pornography in Ontario.
The statement says Molloy informed the archbishop of St. John's at the time, Alphonsus Penney, what Earle had told him. But it does not say what action, if any, was taken by the archdiocese.
During a public inquiry into abuse at Mount Cashel in October 1989, Earle - a former resident of the orphanage - testified he saw something in Lahey's home as a teenager in 1985 that disturbed him.
Lahey resigned as bishop of Antigonish on Sept. 27, citing unspecified personal reasons. Three days later, Ottawa police said the bishop was facing child pornography charges.
Investigators said Lahey's laptop and other media devices were seized by border guards when he was returning to Canada at the Ottawa airport on Sept. 15.
He surrendered to Ottawa police last Thursday and was released on bail until a court appearance on Nov. 4.
Michael Edelson, Lahey's lawyer in Ottawa, could not be reached for comment on Monday. None of the allegations against Lahey have been proven in court.
Meanwhile in Halifax, Archbishop Anthony Mancini said the diocese has not had a request from Lahey to cover his legal costs.
"If that request were made, it would be declined by the diocese," Mancini said in a statement after church officials met with lawyers.
Molloy, who described Earle as being "very upset" when he spoke with him, said doesn't know what Penney did after he passed on details of the conversation to him.
"I just presumed that he would certainly deal with that," he added.
The archdiocese of St. John's says it began a review after Earle's allegation was reported in the media.
Molloy said after he spoke to Penney, he told Lahey about the allegation.
"He was kind of taken aback by my phone call and he asked me ... if anything else came up, would I connect with him. I said, 'Sure,' " Molloy said. "Nothing ever came of it."
Penney still lives in St. John's, but the archdiocese said he was visiting family in Ontario. He could not be reached for comment.
Penney resigned as archbishop of St. John's in July 1990 after a scathing report into child sex abuse by priests.
"Because the archbishop did not act vigorously on the complaints and concerns of his priests, parishioners and concerned parents, children continued to be abused by some priests, even while under criminal investigation," concluded the report headed by a former provincial lieutenant-governor that was set up by Penney.
At the time, Penney explained his position.
"I didn't report it simply because I didn't know the law - and that's not a cop-out," he said.
"I'm prepared to take the responsibility and that's something I have to live with."
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary is also reviewing Earle's allegation. Const. Paul Davis said Monday the police force has so far not found any record of the allegation.
On Monday, an expert on church law said he expected the diocese would decide against paying Lahey's legal fees on the charges he faces in Ottawa.
Rev. Frank Morrisey, professor emeritus at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, said there is nothing in canon law about covering court costs.
More importantly, each diocese has a great deal of autonomy, with its own protocols when it comes to financial matters, he said.
Morrisey, who has taught canon law for 46 years, said the church has covered court costs for many clergymen in trouble with the law, but those cases almost always involved priests who were working on behalf of the church at the time of the offence.
"If something occurred in the carrying out of one's duties, the diocese covers it," he said.
As well, he noted that while the local diocese typically deals with priests who run into trouble, a bishop who is facing criminal charges is dealt with in Rome.
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