By Amy Husser
National Post
November 21, 2009
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2251474
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| Former Bishop Raymond Lahey seen here has been replaced by Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn. Photo by Bruno Schlumberger/Canwest News Service |
A new bishop has been appointed to lead a Roman Catholic community in Nova Scotia that was stunned two months ago to learn its previous church leader was facing child-pornography charges.
And Bishop Brian Joseph Dunn said he knows he faces major challenges in dealing with the fallout of a scandal that has outraged some Catholics in the Diocese of Antigonish.
Dunn has been named by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome to replace Raymond Lahey.
Lahey was charged on Sept. 25 with possessing and importing child pornography after a search of his laptop at an Ottawa airport allegedly discovered the graphic images.
Two weeks prior to his arrest, Lahey had surprised the Antigonish diocese by suddenly announcing his resignation. The 69-year-old was in the midst of overseeing a historic, $15-million legal settlement to victims of priest sexual abuse in his diocese, when he announced that he was stepping down for "personal reasons."
Dunn is currently an auxiliary bishop with the Catholic diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, in northern Ontario.
Speaking from his office in that community Saturday, Dunn said he was both excited and nervous to take on the role.
"I'm excited about the appointment. . . . I am very happy to be able serve the people of Antigonish. But there's also lots of hesitation as I look and see the difficulties that seem to be ahead of me," he said.
Catholics in the area have expressed outraged over the charges against Lahey.
"It seems that the people are very troubled by the latest developments there, so I'm hoping to just be with them to know how they are hurting and how they need to be healed," Dunn said. "Hopefully we can work together to bring healing to the whole situation."
Dunn, 54, becomes the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish, which serves a population of about 130,000 parishioners. Dunn was born in St. John's, N.L., and was ordained in 1980.
He said he expects to be in his new post by mid to late January
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