Post #48

Excerpt from the Canadian Press: Quebec Bishop Marc Ouellet promoted in Vatican leadership shuffle

The Vatican has promoted Canada's highest-ranking Roman Catholic priest, giving the controversial Bishop a powerful role in Pope Benedict's inner circle.

Marc Ouellet was named chief of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, a committee that vets bishop appointments and recommends candidates to the pope.

Ouellet, the Archbishop of Quebec and the Roman Catholic Primate of Canada, says he was surprised to get a tap on the shoulder from Pope Benedict.

“It is a mark of great confidence from the Holy Father and I am very grateful to him,” Bishop Ouellet told a news conference Wednesday in Quebec City.

“It is a huge responsibility.”

But the outspoken 66-year-old's road to the Vatican has been a bumpy one, and his time at the upper echelon of the church in Canada has been marked by controversy.

Bishop Ouellet, who has denounced allegations that the Pope covered up cases of sexual abuse by priests, was widely criticized this spring after he described abortion as an unjustifiable moral crime, even in rape cases.

When asked Wednesday about the legacy he will leave behind, Bishop Ouellet answered he hopes people over time will better understand the choices he has made.

“The historians will have to do their work,” he said.

The appointment will see Bishop Ouellet succeed 76-year-old Bishop Giovanni Battista Re, who has retired after nearly a decade in the post.

Bishop Ouellet, once considered a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, also aims to help Pope Benedict reverse the Catholic church's ongoing decline in the Western world.

“It's a difficult time, it's a time of crisis and so it is a time of decision,” said Bishop Ouellet, who has known Pope Benedict for years.

“I've been supporting him in difficult times.”

But those who disagree with Bishop Ouellet's firm stance on issues such as abortion are calling his appointment another distressing signal of the direction of the church.

“In his capacity as an official of the church, he should have been speaking up for the rights of those victimized within the church and for the rights of women in civil society,” said Lee Lakeman, spokeswoman for the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres.

“When he can get pregnant, he can have an opinion.”

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-cardinal-marc-ouellet-promoted-in-vatican-leadership-shuffle/article1624022/

Post #47

My Roman Catholic church has a tradition of speaking on various subjects but not such a great tradition of listening. Consider the whole sexual abuse scandal – if church leaders had paid more attention to complaints years ago, we would not be dealing with the crisis facing the church today; instead, they chose to sweep those complaints under the rug and hope it would go away.

Consider the current environment where leading theologians, clergy and others have called on Joseph Ratzinger to apologize on behalf of the church to those abused by clergy. One has to wonder if those who lead the church, either in Rome or in the various dioceses have changed much. In every diocese, there are influential priests who have the bishop’s ear while others are largely ignored and in some cases, ridiculed by their fellow priests for speaking out … or they are subjected to the wall of silence, shunned, where theirs is a solitary voice.

It is as common in the seminary as it is in the diocese although the impetus to conform in the seminary is much stronger. There, the often inexperienced and incompetent formation directors wield the ultimate weapon – a negative evaluation. Misplaced priorities at the seminary level are best demonstrated in Edmonton, Canada where tens of millions of dollars are being spent on a new seminary and theology school while thousands of people in that city go hungry every day. Even at that level the precocious future priests are being given the message, “me first”. I wonder what Jesus would say about that?

It was refreshing to see a letter from Fr. Jim Connell, pastor of Holy Name and St. Clement Catholic churches in Sheboygan, Wisconsin as he pondered how the Catholic Church has dealt with clergy abuse. Subsequently, it prompted him to challenge church leaders.

Here is an excerpt of an editorial from the Sheboygan Press.

“In a 10-page open letter last week, Connell questioned whether children in the La Crosse Catholic Diocese might still be at risk because the diocese uses a standard of proof in sexual abuse cases that makes it harder for victims to prove they were abused. Connell notes that the diocese, which was headed by now-Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki, exonerated clergy 64 percent of the time, compared to a national average of just 10 percent.

Connell said his decision to go public came after months of unsuccessful attempts to get church leaders to change the policy he questioned.

Connell also asks:

"Why is it so difficult for the leaders of the Catholic Church to do the right thing?"
Asking these questions could not have been an easy decision for Connell, nor making public his concerns. But we think his actions will end up being of great help to the church as it deals with issues of clergy abuse.

It is hard to argue with those who contend the Catholic Church has spent too much of its time and effort protecting the image of the church rather than helping the victims of sexual abuse by priests to heal.

Connell is being scorned and criticized by some for bringing his concerns to public attention. But the church should be listening to someone who has knowledge of church law and who has served on the Milwaukee Archdiocese's sex abuse review board. Connell is also doing more than just asking questions. He is working to help the victims of abuse by forming a priest group that meets regularly with victims to hear from them what the church needs to do to help them.

This is a most important ministry.

If the Catholic Church is to survive the scandal of clergy abuse, it must not only look deeply and objectively into how it mishandled abuse allegations in the past, but also whether the process of investigating abuse claims isn't unfair to victims. It should also be listening to concerns raised by Jim Connell and others in the clergy."

Amen.

You can read Fr. Connell's letter here: http://www.sheboyganpress.com/assets/pdf/U0160122626.PDF

Post #46

Excerpt from National Catholic Reporter: Vatican expresses indignation at Belgian raid

VATICAN CITY - In a strongly worded statement, the Vatican expressed surprise and indignation at the way Belgian police carried out a raid on the headquarters of the Belgian Catholic Church in connection with an investigation into alleged priestly sex abuse.

The statement June 25 from the Vatican Secretariat of State expressed "true surprise" for the nine-hour-long police blitz and "indignation" for what it said was the violation of tombs of two late cardinals during the search June 24.

News reports said that in the raid, police had sealed off the headquarters of the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels, including the residence of Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard. They also searched the home of Cardinal Godfried Danneels, the retired archbishop for the archdiocese.

The Vatican statement included the description of the raid provided by a spokesman for the Belgian bishops' conference, detailing how bishops gathered for a scheduled meeting at the headquarters had been surprised by police who then confiscated documents and cell phones of all present.

It said that everyone had been questioned, and that while the interrogations had taken place in "a correct manner," that it had not been "a pleasant experience."

Neither bishops nor personnel were allowed to leave the building from 10:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., according to the statement.

The statement also said the Vatican "reiterates the firm condemnation of every sinful and criminal act of abuse of minors on the part of members of the church, as well as the need to remedy and face such acts in a way that conforms to the requirements of justice and teachings of the Gospel."

It continued, "It is in the light of such necessity that the Secretary of State expresses true surprise for the way in which the searches were conducted yesterday by Belgian judicial authorities, and its indignation at the fact that there was the violation of the tombs of the Cardinals Jozef-Ernest van Roey and Leo Jozef Suenens, late archbishops of the archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels.

The statement said the authorities had violated the confidentiality of victims by seizing material under scrutiny by a special commission established by the archdiocese to examine alleged cases of priestly abuse.

Investigators took documents and a computer from Cardinal Danneels' residence but did not question him, according to a spokesman for the cardinal. He said Cardinal Danneels was cooperating with authorities.

Source: http://ncronline.org/news/global/vatican-expresses-indignation-belgian-raid

Post #45

Excerpt from the CBC: St. John’s church says not liable for Lahey's actions

The Roman Catholic Church in St. John's, Newfoundland denies any responsibility for alleged sexual misconduct by Bishop Raymond Lahey when he was a priest in the city.

The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's filed a statement of defence in the Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court on June 9.

The church in St. John's denies any responsibility for alleged sexual misconduct by Lahey.

The statement was filed in response to a civil suit launched against Lahey and the church on April 7 by a former resident of the notorious Mount Cashel orphanage in St. John's.

Todd Boland alleges that Lahey, 69, fondled him between 1982 and 1985, when he was a child in Lahey's care.

Lahey, who is to be tried on child pornography charges in an unrelated case, has never been charged with sexual abuse. He filed a statement of defence May 31, denying Boland's claims.

Lahey, the former Antigonish, N.S., diocese bishop, was charged with possessing and importing child pornography.

Boland claims the church in St. John's and specifically Archbishop Alphonsus Penney knew, or should have known, Lahey was a risk to children.

"I mean his propensities were there," Boland's lawyer, Greg Stack, told CBC News Thursday. "If [Penney] didn't have actual knowledge, he was wilfully blind to the sexual propensities of Bishop Lahey."

The allegations have not been proven in court.

In court documents, the church denies it knew or should have known about the activities alleged by Boland.

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/06/17/nl-lahey-church-defence-617.html

Post #44

Excerpt from the Toronto Star: The trials of Pope Benedict

ROME—It says much about the Vatican that in the age of wireless communication it uses smoke signals to announce the election of a pope.

The primitive technology caused mass confusion five years ago. The belching from the Sistine Chapel’s stovepipe went from black — meaning no pope — to sort of white, the colour that signalled the conclave of cardinals had picked the new spiritual leader for a billion Roman Catholics.

There was jubilation. The long pontificate of John Paul II, the most charismatic pope of modern times, would be a tough act to follow. The sense of expectation in St. Peter’s Square was electric.

Then, on the balcony of the basilica, the chosen one emerged — Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The sight of him subdued the crowd in an instant.

He took the name Benedict XVI and called himself a “humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord.” Many knew him better as the hard-line theologian whose years at the doctrinal department once responsible for the Inquisition attracted labels like “Cardinal No” and “God’s Rottweiler.”

Five years later, missteps and crises threaten to define his papacy. With the Church at a crossroads, and the battle between reformers and conservatives intensifying, Benedict’s reign is in tumult.

“Characterizing this pontificate is a whole series of mishaps that are unusual for a Church with a tradition of being circumspect and diplomatic,” says Daniele Menozzi, a university professor of Christian history at the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa.

Asked to describe the pontificate, a leading Canadian theologian, Rev. Gilles Routhier, was brief: “A lot of turbulence.”

Relations with Protestants, Jews and Muslims have been strained by gaffes and revisions of Catholic doctrine or practice. Within the Church, progressives are appalled by reactionary signs — most notably by talks to bring the ultra-conservative Society of St. Pius X, and one of its Holocaust-denying bishops, back into the fold.

Rarely has an officially infallible papacy spent so much time at damage control.

“The pontificate is finished,” says a leading Vatican scholar in Italy, who asked to remain anonymous, claiming a fear of excommunication. “This man will never recover the credibility that the papal ministry needs.”

Few other observers go that far. Not yet.

Compared to his predecessor, he’s a monastic and isolated Pope. His intellectual references are medieval theologians. And his penchant for papal garments not worn since the reforms of Vatican II in the 1960s is seen by some progressives as a calculated and infuriating slight.

The battle over Vatican II — and the future direction of the Church — was openly engaged.

Vatican II, an ecumenical council that ran from 1962 to 1965, radically changed the way the faithful experience the Church. It reformed the practice of sacraments such as baptism and penance, and introduced mass said in the language of parishioners.

It left Church doctrine largely untouched, including positions on celibacy and contraception. But much was done in the name of “the spirit of Vatican II,” a notion fueled by the social winds of the 1960s. Liberation theology — with priests focused on the poor, influenced by Marx and sometimes backing revolutionary struggles in Latin America — was the most obvious example.

Today, a key demand of reformers is a more democratic Church. They want to break the absolute power of bishops over their diocese and make them accountable to parishioners, who would have a greater role in running parishes. As for priests, they would be seen more as men than representatives of God.

What’s clear is that Benedict believes a hefty dose of doctrinal discipline is in order.

In his recent letter to Irish Catholics on the sex abuse scandals, he partly blamed pedophile priests on Council reforms being “misinterpreted.” He said penalties under canon law were avoided and priests adopted “ways of thinking and assessing secular realities without sufficient reference to the Gospel.”

In an interview, one leading exponent of reforms called the Pope’s analysis “scandalous.”

Another, Laval University’s Gilles Routhier, says the Pope should seize the opportunity to make bishops accountable, thereby ensuring more transparency and reducing the likelihood of future cover-ups.

But Menozzi, the professor of Christian history, believes a “siege mentality” has taken hold. With time, Benedict could perhaps bolster his legacy with historic initiatives — normalizing relations with China, for example, or meeting the head of the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, responsible for the largest Eastern Orthodox Church in the world.

But for now, a tired-looking Benedict sits atop a very troubled Church.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/796849--the-trials-of-pope-benedict?bn=1

Posst #43

Excerpt from VIS News: Holy Father's replies to priests during prayer vigil

VATICAN CITY, 12 JUN 2010 (VIS) - During the course of the prayer vigil celebrated last Thursday night in St. Peter's Square, the Pope responded to questions from five priests, one from each of the five continents. Extensive extracts of his replies are give below.

Asked by a Brazilian priest how pastors must face the difficulties they encounter in their ministry, the Pope recognised that "today it is very difficult to be a pastor, especially in countries where Christianity is a faith of ancient standing. Parishes become ever larger, ... and it is impossible to know everyone, impossible to do everything that is expected of a pastor". In this context he underlined the importance of the faithful "seeing that the priest does not just do a job, with so many hours of work after which he is free and lives for himself, but that he is a man impassioned by Christ. ... To be filled with the joy of the Gospel with all our being is the main condition", to which must be added "three fundamental priorities: the Eucharistic and the Sacraments, ... announcement of the Word and ... Caritas, the love of Christ". Another priority "is the personal relationship with Christ. ... Prayer is not a marginal aspect. It is the priest's 'profession' to pray, also in representation of those people who do not know how to pray or do not find the time to pray. Individual prayer, especially the Liturgy of the Hours, is fundamental nourishment for our souls, for all our activity".

A priest from Ivory Coast asked how to avoid a rupture between theology and doctrine and ensure "that study is not entirely academic but also nourishes our spirituality". In his reply Benedict XVI recognised "the abuse of theology" when it becomes "arrogance of reason, failing to nourish the faith and obscuring the presence of God in the world. Yet there is a theology that wishes to know more out of love for the Beloved", he said. "This is the true theology that comes from the love of God, of Christ, and wishes to enter into deeper communion with Christ". The Pope encouraged theologians to be courageous, telling them not to be afraid of "the phantasm of science, ... not to chain themselves to every hypothesis of the moment, but to think on the basis of the great faith of the Church which is present in all times and opens the way to the truth. ... Formation is very important, but we must also be critical: the criterion of faith is the criterion with which to see theologians and theologies. ... It is in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that we see the summary of our faith, and this Catechism is the true criterion with which to discern whether a theology is acceptable or not".

Another priest, this time from Europe, asked the Pope to speak on "the profundity and authentic significance of ecclesiastical celibacy" also in view of the "worldly criticisms" to which it has been subjected. The Holy Father said that "a great problem of modern Christianity is that we no longer think of the future of God: the present moment of this world seems sufficient. ... In this way we close the doors to the true greatness of our existence. The meaning of celibacy - as an anticipation of the future - is precisely to open these doors, ... to show the reality of the future which we must live here in the present, and in this way bear witness to our faith. We truly believe that God exists, ... that we can found our lives on Christ and on the life to come". On the subject of worldly criticism, the Pope noted how "for the agnostic world ... celibacy is a great scandal because it shows that God is considered to be real and is lived as a reality. ... Celibacy is a definitive 'yes', it is allowing oneself to be taken by the hand of God, giving oneself into the Lord's hands, into His 'self'. Thus it is an act of faithfulness and trust, an act which presupposes the faithfulness of marriage, ... which is the biblical form, the natural form, of being man and woman, foundation of the great Christian culture and of other great cultures of the world. If this is lost, the roots of our culture will be destroyed. Thus celibacy confirms the 'yes' of marriage with its 'yes' to the world to come. This is how we wish to proceed and actualise this scandal of a faith which founds all of existence on God. ... We pray to the Lord to help us free ourselves from secondary scandals, to make this great scandal of our faith present: the trust, the power of our life founded in God, in Christ Jesus".

The fourth question, put to the Holy Father by a priest from Japan, focused on the way to experience the Eucharist and worship with dignity, without falling into clericalism or losing touch with reality. Recalling the words of St. Augustine, Benedict XVI explained that "the sacrifice of Christians is that of being united by the love of Christ in the unity of the one Body of Christ. The sacrifice lies precisely in emerging from ourselves, in allowing ourselves to be attracted by the communion of the one bread, the one Body, and thus entering the great adventure of the love of God. Thus we must always celebrate, love, meditate upon the Eucharist as a school of liberation from the 'self'. ... The Eucharist is the exact opposite of clericalism, of closure in oneself. ... Living the Eucharist in its original meaning, in its authentic profundity, is a school of life, it is the best protection against any temptation towards clericalism".

Finally, a priest from Australia asked the Pope what could be done to contrast the decline in vocations. "There is a great temptation", the Holy Father replied, "to transform the priesthood - the Sacrament of Christ - into a normal profession, into a job that has its working hours, ... thus making it like any other vocation, making it accessible and easy. Yet this temptation does not resolve the problem. ... As the Lord invites us, we must pray to God, knock at the door, at the heart of God, that He may give us vocations, pray insistently and with great determination and conviction, because God does not close Himself to insistent, incessant and trusting prayer, even if He lets us wait .... longer that we expect". Moreover, "each of us must do everything we can to live our own priesthood convincingly". We must invite people to pray, "to have this humility, this trust in speaking with God forcefully and decisively. And we must "have the courage to speak to the young if they think that God is calling them and, ... above all, help them to find a life context in which to live their vocation".

Source: AC/ VIS 20100614 (1170)
            Published by VIS - Holy See Press Office - Monday, June 14, 2010

Post #42

Excerpt from Los Angeles Times: Pope asks God for forgiveness but offers no apology

When Pope Benedict XVI announced the "Year of the Priest" that concluded Friday, he probably didn't have in mind the sort of year he got.

He acknowledged as much in a closing Mass, telling more than 10,000 assembled priests in St. Peter's Square that "in the very year of joy for the sacrament of the priesthood, the sins of priests came to light."

Benedict had been widely expected to use the occasion to issue his most sweeping and detailed mea culpa to date for the clergy sexual abuse scandal, and perhaps to announce new measures to cope with it. The scandal has rocked the Roman Catholic Church in Europe this year, nearly a decade after it shook the American church to its roots.

But the pope did neither, blaming the problem on "the enemy," Satan, even as he begged forgiveness from God and from the victims of priest abuse, as he has several times recently. The latest comments failed to satisfy at least some in his audience, who called for greater accountability and more concrete measures to combat abuse.

Benedict celebrated the Mass in sweltering heat after presiding the night before over a vigil in which he strongly defended the church's requirement that priests take a vow of celibacy.

Although he has a reputation as an occasionally austere figure, the pope won praise from priests for speaking plainly and showing a keen understanding of their difficulties, as well as for inspiring them with reminders of the importance of their work and depth of their faith.

"It's a challenge being a priest today, no?" Andres Ulloa, 24, an Ecuadorean seminarian from Guayaquil, said after the Mass. "But he talked about the joys of being a priest.... He knows how to get to the center and the essence of problems."

At one point, sounding much like the academic he once was, Benedict spoke of the development of monotheism, and seemed to criticize non-Christian faiths as well as the Enlightenment, the historical movement that brought revolutionary developments in science and philosophy.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-pope-forgiveness-20100612,0,940659.story
 
To see the complete text of the Pope's remarks, please click here

Post #41

Excerpt from the National Post: Antigonish diocese to sell property to settle $18.5M sex case

Amid the rolling hills of Mabou, Nova Scotia, a tall white steeple emerges.

Not far away, on the road that winds along the western side of Cape Breton Island stands a long wooden building, nondescript to the unfamiliar eye but an anchor in the community of 1,214 people: the parish hall. Inside St. Mary’s parish hall is the stage where the Rankin Family band, a bastion of Canadiana, played its first show. It’s where the community comes together to celebrate weddings and birthdays, concerts and dances.

But now, because of a deal struck last year by Raymond Lahey, once the Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish and since charged with possessing child pornography, the diocese is putting about 400 properties up for sale to pay an $18.5-million sexual-abuse settlement. It’s a deal that threatens to bankrupt the mostly rural diocese.

The properties range from community halls and unused rectories to unoccupied houses and vacant land. The diocese, which comprises 90 parishes, has yet to release the exact slate of holdings to be sold but has made it clear that parish halls, such as Mabou’s, are on the list — and the communities are infuriated.

“They’re angry and they feel like they have no control and they have no power,” said Father Paul Abbass, spokesman for the diocese. “It is about land and property and money. But deeper beneath this it’s still very much about feeling betrayed by the church. ‘We didn’t do anything wrong. we don’t really seem to have a say here, it’s just being imposed on us.’ They’re right.”

The diocese encompasses seven counties of northeastern Nova Scotia: three on the mainland (Antigonish, Pictou and Guysborough), and four on the island (Inverness, Richmond, Victoria and Cape Breton counties).

Churches, cemeteries and rectories still being used will not be sold. “We’re not trying to liquidate all our properties. We’re trying to get the money that’s required to meet the obligations of a lawsuit,” Fr. Abbass said. When the decision to pay the settlement was made, Fr. Abbass said the first step was to take the liquid assets of the parishes and pool them, keeping aside what the parishes needed for operations. That amounted to about $6-million, he said, leaving the collection of properties to raise the remaining $12.5-million.

The deal, announced just weeks before the bishop was charged, includes a $15-million settlement reached last August with victims of sexual abuse from the 1950s to 2009, as well as a $3-million settlement for six other claimants, who came forward after the original settlement. At the time, it was hailed as the first time the Roman Catholic Church agreed to compensate, without fighting the claims in court, victims who said they were sexually abused by priests.

Robb Kell, former parish council chairman of St. Ninian Cathedral, the diocese’s largest congregation, said his community is frustrated by the binding nature of the court order, particulary because of Bishop Lahey’s involvement in spearheading the settlement.

“Unfortunately given the situation, we don’t really have any choice,” Mr. Kell said. “It certainly comes up on a regular basis. I think there’s some underlying anger in the first place, at the man who made the deal now being charged with possessing child pornography. I don’t see how anybody could not be angry at that situation.”

Fr. Abbass said that while some of the diocese’s properties, such as land on the Bras d’Or Lakes and vacant land in more developed areas, are marketable, it will be a struggle to sell so many properties in more rural areas of the province. “We believe that the land we hold has the value that we need to meet our goal,” he said. “I would be kidding you to say it’s not a challenging situation in small areas to sell that many properties.”

The land will be put on the market in groups, not all at once, to avoid a glut. The diocese is hiring a professional to oversee the process, he said.

It’s clear, however, that for the diocese to survive, the sales must go through. “If we were unable to raise the funds that we need to raise and we have an agreement with the courts, then it is quite possible for [bankruptcy] to happen. That’s the very thing we’re working 100% to avoid,” Fr. Abbass said. “I don’t know what the alternatives would be.”

Parishes will be given first right to bid on any property that was previously theirs. “That’s another bitter pill: to say to people we need to pool all your available assets. Then we need to sell your land or hall. But if the parish wants to buy it back, they can,” Fr. Abbass said.

Source: http://life.nationalpost.com/2010/05/29/antigonish-diocese-to-sell-property-to-settle-18-5m-sex-case/

Post #40

Excerpt from CBC News: Bishop Raymond Lahey denies abuse allegations

A Roman Catholic bishop facing pornography charges says he never sexually assaulted a former resident of the infamous Mount Cashel orphanage in St. John’s in the early 1980s.

Bishop Raymond John Lahey denies all claims of abuse made in a civil lawsuit filed by Todd Boland last April in St. John's.

Boland claims sexual assaults, which his lawyer Greg Stack described as "fondling," happened over four years beginning in 1982.

Lahey filed his statement of defence in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador Monday.

In it, he said that he was responsible for Boland’s care almost three decades ago.

"He does admit knowing him and extending what's referred to as pastoral services to him, but he denies that anything improper happened. That anything of a sexual nature happened," Stack told CBC News Tuesday.

"Our experience with the Catholic Church is that they give no quarter. They admit nothing. They fight everything. They put victims through extensive and excruciating discovery hearings, and the like, and we have no indication that this will be any different," said Stack

Boland's lawsuit also names the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of St. John's, which hasn't yet filed a defence.

Stack expects it will soon.

Lahey resigned from his position as head of the diocese of Antigonish in Nova Scotia after being charged in September with possession of child pornography.

His trial on those charges is scheduled to begin in April 2011.

Sources:  http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/06/01/nl-lahey-defence-601.html

               http://www.cbc.ca/news/pdf/lahey_defence.pdf