Raymond Lahey

Raymond John Lahey (born May 29, 1940) is the former Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Lahey resigned from his position in the Diocese of Antigonish in 2009 after being charged with importation and possession of child pornography when Canada Border Services Agency investigators discovered images of concern on his laptop computer.^[1] He was suspended from his priestly and sacramental duties, and was eventually laicized in 2012.

Education

Lahey was born in St. John's, Newfoundland on May 29, 1940. He attended St. Paul University at the University of Ottawa, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Theology in 1961, a Licentiate in Theology (L.Th.) in 1963 and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) (magna cum laude) in 1966.^[2]

He was ordained in 1963.

Career

Lahey's career saw him serve in a combination of clergical and academic positions in Newfoundland and Labrador, and most recently in Nova Scotia.^[2]

• Administrator of Holy Cross Parish, Diocese of Grand Falls, Holyrood
• Pastor of St. Peter's Parish, Archdiocese of St. John's, Mount Pearl
• Vicar General of the Archdiocese of St. John's, St. John's
• Assistant Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's
• Proctor of St. John's College, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's
• Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's
• Department Head, Department of Religious Studies, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's
• Member of the Senate of Memorial University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's
• Member of the Provincial Religious Education Committee, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Served on two Roman Catholic school boards, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Served on the Belvedere Orphanage Trust, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Vice-Chairman of the Roman Catholic 200th Anniversary Committee, Newfoundland and Labrador (included preparations for the 1984 Papal Visit by Pope John Paul II to the province)
• Named Bishop of the Diocese of St. George's on July 8, 1986. Consecrated on August 3, 1986 in Corner Brook.
• Named Bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish on April 5, 2003. Installed on June 12, 2003 in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
• Automatically became Chancellor of St. Francis Xavier University on June 12, 2003. The office of Bishop of Antigonish has historically been linked to St. Francis Xavier University with the current bishop always serving as the university's chancellor.
• Resigned from his position in September 2009 after child pornography was discovered on his laptop.^[1]

Academic contributions

• author of studies and articles on theology and church history
• contributor to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography
• member of several scholarly boards, including the American Academy of Religion

Abuse scandal

On August 7, 2009, Lahey announced that the Diocese of Antigonish had reached a $15 million settlement in a class action lawsuit filed by victims of sexual abuse by diocese priests dating to 1950.^[3] The settlement was approved by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia on September 10, 2009.^[4][5] In 2012 the diocese satisfied its legal obligations to pay out $15 million to the victims of sexual abuse, having to sell a large number of its properties, liquidating the bank accounts of many of its churches, and borrowing $6.5 million from private lenders to make the payout.^[6]

On September 15, 2009, Lahey returned to Canada from London (with a passport bearing visas from Thailand and other Asian countries^[7]), arriving at Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. Canada Border Services Agency officers performed a random search of a laptop computer carried by Lahey and allegedly uncovered "images . . . that were of concern." Lahey was allowed to return to Nova Scotia; however, the computer was seized and the Ottawa Police Service alleged that a subsequent forensic examination revealed child pornography.^[8] Lahey pleaded guilty to the charges on May 4, 2011. He requested imprisonment, surrendering his right to bail.^[9] On January 4, 2012, he was sentenced to 15 months of prison time and 24 months of probation. However, because he had spent 8 months in pre-trial custody, he was given time served and was discharged on the same day.^[10][11] This occurred as a result of a law that was repealed by the federal government in 2010; it had allowed judges to give 2-for-1 credit for time served. This was only possible in Lahey's case because he was charged in 2009, before the law was repealed.^[10][11]

Laicization

On May 16, 2012, it was announced that Raymond Lahey had been defrocked by a decree of the Vatican.^[12]

References

External links

• Notice of class action lawsuit settlement - September 10, 2009
• Letter from Archbishop Anthony Mancini to Diocese of Antigonish - September 26, 2009
• Letter from Bishop Raymond Lahey to Diocese of Antigonish - September 26, 2009
• Press release by Archbishop Anthony Mancini - September 30, 2009
• Press release by Archbishop Anthony Mancini - October 1, 2009