Brian Dunn; 'Healing' Needed for Diocese Stung by Porn Charge
By Charles Lewis
National Post
November 23, 2009
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=2255257
Brian Dunn said he could not have been more surprised about his new appointment, which came on the weekend from Pope Benedict, naming him the new bishop of one of the most troubled Catholic dioceses in Canada.
But one man who taught Bishop Dunn moral theology said the Vatican picked the right person because "he has the broad shoulders to carry the weight of all that pain people are feeling."
Bishop Dunn, the current Auxiliary Bishop of Sault St. Marie, will be in charge of the Diocese of Antigonish in Nova Scotia. He replaces Raymond Lahey, who was forced to resign earlier this fall after being charged with possession of child pornography.
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| Bishop Raymond Lahey is awaiting trial on a charge of possession of child pornography.
Photo by Chris Wattie |
"Going to the Diocese of Antigonish will be difficult," Bishop Dunn said in an interview, after just learning about his new appointment. "There will be lots of healing necessary. I'm not sure yet what will be the best way to help the people of Antigonish heal."
In August, the diocese finalized, under Bishop Lahey, a $15-million settlement with those who were abused by priests. Bishop Lahey was commended for his compassion and the settlement was considered a model of how the Church should handle such grave situations.
But then in September, Bishop Lahey was allegedly found with pornographic images
of teens on his laptop while going through the Ottawa airport. Bishop Lahey is now awaiting trial in Ottawa.
Bishop Dunn, 54, expects to be in his new position by January. He has been a parish priest for the past 29 years and was appointed auxiliary Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie in October 2008.
He said he only has a vague idea of why he was chosen to go to Antigonish, since he has served a year in his current posting and has had no direct contact with anyone in Antigonish.
"But I have a lot of experience in parish work and experience with tragic situations and being with people in difficulty. But this is a different situation. There will be people in that region losing respect [for the Church]."
He also suspects that his Atlantic roots also had something to do with his selection as the new bishop.
Bishop Dunn said he knows the "mindset" of people in the Maritimes and Newfoundland and that will be an advantage in taking on this posting.
Bishop Dunn was born in St. John's, Nfld., and grew up in the central part of the province. Most of his parish work has been in Newfoundland, but he also taught theology for six years at St. Peter's Seminary in London, Ont.
Father Michael Prieur, who taught moral theology to Bishop Dunn at St. Peter's, and then worked alongside him, said he was not surprised at all that his former colleague was chosen for such a tough assignment.
"He can listen to people with patience and compassion," said Fr. Prieur. "He is not judgmental and will know that when anger is expressed at the Church and the office of bishop it will not really be directed at him personally.
"Many of the people in Antigonish are feeling betrayed. And Bishop Dunn has the kind of big shoulders to carry the weight of all that pain people are feeling. He has the spark of God and he has the kind of deep soul that can help people heal."
Anthony Mancini, the Archbishop of Halifax, best summed up the kind of pain the people in Antigonish was experiencing.
"In the past days, I have been asked over and over again: What do you say to the parishioners, to the priests, the people and to the faithful communities that make up our Church in Nova Scotia?" Archbishop Mancini wrote in October.
"What will you say to the victims of sexual abuse, as we all struggle in the aftermath of unbelievable revelations and allegations of even more unacceptable shocking and possible criminal sexual behaviour? What I want to say is: Enough is enough!"
Contact: clewis@nationalpost.com.
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