Priests will sin: archbishop

On Sunday, Roman Catholics across the Maritimes attended their first Sunday mass since startling news about Bishop Raymond Lahey broke lastweek.

Lahey, the 69-year-oldbishop for the Antigonish diocese, is charged with the possession and importation of child pornography. He is staying at a monastery in Rogersville, N.B., pendingacourt appearance Nov. 4 in Ottawa.

The archbishop of the Halifax diocese, who presided over mass at St. Mary's Basilica in Halifax, addressed the issue with parishioners during his impassioned sermon.

'So is it gonna happen again? Yeah, of course it's gonna happen again all we can do is try to prevent and try to make sure that we put up all the safeguards that we can possibly put up.' Archbishop Anthony Mancini

Archbishop Anthony Mancini, who was appointed apostolic administrator of the Antigonish diocese after Lahey's resignation, said there's no simple solution to preventing priests from sinning.

"You think, and many people think, that all we got to do is throw more money at it, throw more structure at it, throw more psychiatrists at it, and at the end of it all, we're going to come up with this wonderful, perfect structure. And you know what? That's never going to happen," Mancini said.

"So is it gonna happen again? Yeah, of course it's gonna happen again. What all we can do is try to prevent and try to make sure that we put up all the safeguards that we can possibly put up."

Some parishioners are calling for changes in the rules regarding priests' sexual lives. But Mancini said that won't solve the problem.

He asked the parishioners to pray for Lahey and not to lose faith.

"Yes, people are questioning their faith, and that's why today, I invited the people who were here to come together and to share what faith we have," he said.

"We may not have a lot, but your little bit, and my little bit, and everybody else's little bit, it will be supportive. Now whether you call that faith, or whether you call that group therapy whatever you call that we have to get together and share what we have in our hearts."

Takes time to heal

Parishioner Betty Barron said it's difficult to get past the allegations against Lahey. She said she's thinking about the children, not Lahey.

"That's the part that I can't get off my mind. It's not him, he needs a lot of forgiveness and he has to pay for exactly what he did. But it's the children I worry about. That's what's on my mind," she said.

Fellow parishioner Mel Tobias agrees it will take time for everyone to heal.

She suggested many parishioners would be looking to a higher power than the archbishop.

"When they go to church, they don't go to worship the priest. The priest represents the church and represents the Catholic religion, but you go to church to worship God, and I think that every once in a while you will see somebody that will fall, but you've got to forgive, you have to have room in your heart to forgive."

Church needs to talk openly

Less than three months ago, Lahey was praised for negotiating an out-of-court settlement for sex abuse victims in his Antigonish diocese.

Ronnie Martin,who was abused by a priest as a child and worked closely with Lahey to broker the $15-million settlement, was among the parishioners at St. Theresa's parish in Sydney, N.S.

Martin said he didn't know a few days ago whether he would attend church.But he was encouraged by the priest's message, he said.

"He is as devastated as the rest of us," said Martin, referring toRev. Jim Oliver, who acknowledged people were hurting and that it would take time for people of faith to heal.

"He really is a good man and this morning he didn't try to sideswipe the thing," said Martin. "He hit it right on, head on, and I really admire him for his courage and in his brokenness to say to us, you know, we need to still be people of faith."

Martin said he embraced the priest after mass and thanked him.

"And I told him that I would be back next week, but for me it's gonna be a day-to-day thing. It's just how this thing plays out and what the church does with it."

Martincontendschurch leaders will have to continue talking openly about the abuse, and about the charges against Lahey, so the church can move forward.

In Saint John, a letter from Saint John Bishop Robert Harris was read aloud at all churches in his diocese, including Holy Trinity.

In the letter, Harris described the allegations against Lahey as a "sad moment" for the church, but urged people not to walk away from the church.

Monastery in Rogersville

He also stressed that Lahey is only accused and has not been found guilty.

Harris asked people to pray for Lahey and his family, as well as the Antigonish diocese.

Lahey was released on $9,000 bail Thursday after he turned himself in to Ottawa police.

One of the conditions of his release was that he stay in Rogersville, N.B. But he is free to leave the grounds of the Cistercian-Trappist Monastery of Our Lady of Calvary, whichis about three kilometres from the village.

Lahey was also ordered to check in with the RCMP twice a week, stay away from children and places they frequent, and not use the internet.