BishopAccountability.org
	Restructuring Required Print This Article The Labradorian October 13, 2009 http://www.thelabradorian.ca/index.cfm?sid=294113&sc=352 The Roman Catholic Church was rocked to its core recently, and there's no doubt the fallout has hit some Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Roman Catholic Bishop Raymond Lahey, 69, resigned his post as the head of the Diocese of Antigonish, NS, almost two weeks ago. Lahey, who had presided over a $15-million settlement for victims of sexual abuse at the hands of the diocese's priests, said he was quitting his post because he needed time for "personal renewal." But allegedly there was much more to it than that. News broke last Wednesday the St. John's native and former bishop of St. George's in central Newfoundland had been recently stopped by Border Services agents at the airport in Ottawa and subjected to a random search. When they searched Lahey's laptop computer, they found "images of concern." Apparently it wasn't enough to arrest Lahey on the spot, but further investigation led to a charge of possession and distribution of child pornography to be laid. It is important to note, however, as of late last week, the charges against Lahey hadn't been proven. But for those poor souls who have endured sexual abuse at the hands of priests, or anyone for that matter, shocking allegations like these undoubtedly lead to the resurfacing of dark, terrifying memories. For Nova Scotian Ronald Martin, this news must have been particularly horrifying. He was the man who initiated the action against the Diocese of Antigonish after walking into his brother's room one dark day about a decade ago. Ronald found his brother dead on the floor, with a suicide note next to his body telling the story of his abuse at the hands of the priests. Ronald, who had also allegedly been abused by a priest, had no idea his brother had endured a similar, undoubtedly nightmarish youth. So he took the church on, and won. And who was the church's spokesman when the lawsuit was settled just a few weeks ago? Raymond Lahey. A man who, during his address to the media, spoke out against the suffering the children had endured at the hands of sexual predators. As more and more people turn their back on organized religion because of scandals like last week's, the question must be asked: how does the Roman Catholic Church intend to deal with this? Surely it's time for the Vatican to look at modernizing its beliefs. Is the vow of celibacy even remotely realistic in this day and age? Was it ever realistic? Why can't women rise to the top of the church? Have rules like this contributed to the legacy of abuse and shame? The Pope's reaction to this scandal was particularly telling. Apparently Lahey told Rome what had gone on, and the Pope responded quickly, publicly accepting Lahey's resignation. Presumably, this was Rome's way of distancing itself from blame. That's certainly what it looked like. What's needed now is a thorough review of how the Roman Catholic Church operates. This cannot simply be another case of the church sweeping a scandal under the rug and pretending nothing happened, or this is something that happened a long time ago. Until real change occurs, Catholicism and other religions that refuse to accept what's happening within their own ranks will continue to watch their parish’s wither and die. The days of blind faith are over. Guest editorial written by Andrew Waugh, former resident of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, who writes from Nova Scotia.
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