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Theresa's Tidbits - Lahey situation a sad, frustrating one
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
Finding out that someone has been into porn is shocking. Finding out that it’s child porn is nothing less than heart-breaking. Finding out that person is a high church official is frustrating.
That, in a nutshell, describes the reaction to the situation faced by former Catholic bishop Raymond Lahey, who has been charged with possession and importing of child pornography.
The situation grew even more sad when a man came forward to say he had seen porn at Lahey’s house 20 years ago. He said he told a priest, and the priest said he told higher Church authorities – but nothing was done about it.
Now, the Church finally seems to be waking up to the fact that such situations can no longer be swept under the rug. In the past, nothing like this was talked about, and the perpetrator was moved from parish to parish rather than getting the help needed.
In this case, Lahey did the right thing by resigning, and priests and bishops – especially those in Nova Scotia, where Lahey served – are doing the right thing by addressing the situation directly from the pulpit.
In a way, they have no choice. Since the media has put the spotlight on the situation, everyone knows what has happened, and knows the seriousness of it. Tolerance for the situation is very low among Canadians, especially among Catholics. To hide it now would be inexcusable.
But more disturbingly, parishioners have been saying they no longer want to attend church. That is entirely understandable, given the Church’s previous record on such situations and the fact that the accused was a higher official. As one person commented on the news, “If we can’t trust the shepherd, who can we trust?”
Hopefully, Catholics will be encouraged to continue their church membership, remembering that most priests are good men doing the best they can to lead the flock and that God is bigger than this – or any - situation.
Hopefully, this will be a wakeup call to the Church, to stay on the lookout for those struggling with issues like pornography and to immediately – yes, immediately – and lovingly confront them and get them help.
If something good is to come out of the Lahey case, it is the hope that by openly dealing with it, the church can heal from some of the episodes of its past.
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