BishopAccountability.org
	A Scandal Close to Home By Peter Smith Telegraph-Journal October 6, 2009 http://telegraphjournal.canadaeast.com/opinion/article/814629 People need to know that there is no place in the priesthood and religious life for those who would harm the young. John Paul II, 2002 Catholicism can be a challenging enough religion to following without its leadership seeming to make the headlines for moral failings with the predictability and regularity of the changing of the seasons. As the leaves turn vibrant colours and a chill bites into the morning air, Catholics once again are seeing one of their clergy accused of a crime no one would wish on their worst enemy. This one hits close to home, with Nova Scotia's Bishop Raymond Lahey, charged last week with possession of child pornography, taking refuge in the monastery in Rogersville. Less sickening than what he is accused of but equally unsettling is the way so many people no longer respond to allegations such as this with shock, but rather with sadness, headshaking, or perhaps even sighs of resignation. There will be more slumped shoulders in the pews in Nova Scotia, to be sure, but I'm sure members of the Church throughout the country have been flinching at some level this past week.
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