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Stories about the Nova Scotia bishop accused of having child porn:
Accused Nova Scotia bishop released on bail
The former Roman Catholic bishop of Antigonish, N.S., ended his brief turn as a fugitive Thursday, handing himself over to police in Ottawa.
CanWest News Service, September 30
What made them search a bishop?
Question No. 1: Has a Roman Catholic bishop in a diocese on North America ever been the subject of a criminal manhunt? . . . But here is question No. 2: What led to the secondary search of the laptop hard drive of a Catholic bishop?
Terry Mattingly, GetReligion.org, October 1
Bearing crosses
The child pornography charges laid against Bishop Raymond Lahey were a shocking blow to Roman Catholics in Nova Scotia, who watched on television yesterday as the once-exalted member of their community surrendered himself to police. But this case, and others like it, trigger questions about how willing priests are to come forward and seek help when they are facing deep psychological problems.
Charles Lewis, National Post, October 2
Bishop surrenders in child-porn case
N.S. cleric granted bail as accusations rock his former parishioners
Toronto Star, October 2
Police in N.L. review child porn allegation in case of N.S. bishop
Police in Newfoundland and Labrador say they're reviewing an allegation that Raymond Lahey - a Roman Catholic bishop facing child-pornography charges in Ontario - possessed child pornography more than 20 years ago. Billy Earle told CBC on Thursday that his brother Shane saw child pornography in the Mount Pearl, N.L., home of Lahey in 1985.
Canadian Press, October 2
N.S. bishop preaches forgiveness, as flock grapples with porn allegations
The archbishop of Halifax expressed his own frustration and issued an impassioned plea to his parishioners Sunday to keep their faith as they grapple with allegations that one of their bishops was in possession of child pornography. Archbishop Anthony Mancini said the church has had enough of charges of sexual abuse and impropriety.
Canadian Press, October 4
Child-porn legal bills not covered
The former Roman Catholic bishop accused of child pornography crimes has not asked the church in Nova Scotia to help pay his legal bills, nor would the church provide such help if asked, a Catholic official said Monday.
CanWest News Service, October 5
Archbishop on Lahey case: 'Enough is enough'
The Archbishop of Halifax says "my heart is broken, my mind is confused and my body hurts" and that he has "silently screamed" in the aftermath of the revelation that one of his fellow bishops was now facing charges related to child pornography.
National Post, October 5
Church awaiting 'resurrection' after bishop's disgrace
With shock at allegations against Rev. Lahey turning to anger, parishioners aim appeals for reform at highest levels of Catholic church
Globe and Mail, October 5
Former archbishop Alphonsus Penney had been made aware of child porn allegations 20 years ago: Archdiocese says
The Archdiocese of St. John's said today it has uncovered information that former St. John's archbishop Alphonsus L. Penney was presented with information more than 20 years ago about then priest Raymond Lahey having possession of alleged child pornography.
St. John's Telegram, October 5
Priest told archbishop in 1980s of allegation that Lahey possessed porn
During Mount Cashel inquiry a former resident testified he saw something in Fr. Lahey's home that disturbed him
Canadian Press, October 5
Church officials alerted to pornography allegations against bishop 20 years ago
Two decades ago, a young man poured his heart out in Rev. Kevin Molloy's Portugal Cove rectory. Father Molloy said he was "appalled" to hear about the pornographic images the man allegedly found, as a teenager in the home of a fatherly clergyman, who would befriend boys at Newfoundland's Mount Cashel home and often take them out to movies or to his home for the weekend.
Globe and Mail, October 6
Bishop says church, police may have failed man who alleged priest had porn
Archbishop Martin Currie acknowledged in an interview Tuesday that officials may have done little to investigate a claim by Shane Earle that he saw pornographic magazines in the home of Raymond Lahey.
Canadian Press, October 6
Church confirms complaint
Catholic priest Kevin Molloy insists he was shocked to hear that retired bishop Raymond Lahey has been charged in a child pornography case, despite cautioning him about the consequences of having pornography more than 20 years ago.
St. John's Telegram, October 6
N.S. man files suit against Roman Catholic Church alleging sexual abuse
A Nova Scotia man has filed a lawsuit against two Roman Catholic districts alleging years of sexual abuse suffered at the hands of a pastor linked to the same diocese at the centre of an historic settlement for victims who made allegations of sexual assault.
Canadian Press, October 7
'I believed it was taken care of ...'
There are likely only two men who can say how seriously the Catholic Church took allegations of possession of child pornography by one of its bishops more than 20 years ago, but it is also likely that neither man will be forthcoming soon.
Charles Lewis, National Post, October 7
A sick continuum
When the discussion turned to adult pornography, the tone changed. Most people say that adult pornography, which is legal and between consenting adults, is okay. And even if they do not approve of adult porn themselves they could see a clear distinction between adult porn and child porn.
Charles Lewis, National Post, October 7
N.S. man files new abuse suit, hopes first church settlement won't be harmed
A Nova Scotia man who has filed a civil lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Church alleging sexual abuse spoke out on the accusations for the first time Thursday, saying he doesn't want to see a separate class-action settlement fail. Philip Latimer, who alleges he was sexually molested by a priest for four years beginning when he was 11, said he launched his lawsuit partly because the class-action settlement was brokered by a bishop now facing child pornography charges.
Canadian Press, October 8
Lahey outrage shows Church is learning as well as sinning
Regarding the distressing news about the child pornography charges brought against Bishop Raymond Lahey, former bishop of Antigonish, one cannot improve upon the letter Archbishop Anthony Mancini sent to the faithful of Nova Scotia and read in all parishes last Sunday.
Father Raymond J. De Souza, National Post, October 8
Earlier: Stories about the Nova Scotia bishop and his resignation
Stories about the transgendered teacher and the Catholic school board:
Alberta transgendered substitute teacher fired from Catholic school board
A transgendered substitute teacher fired by a Roman Catholic public school board has filed a human rights complaint demanding to be reinstated. Jan Buterman is praised in a letter of dismissal for his teaching abilities, but told his gender change from woman to man is not aligned with the teachings of the Catholic church or its values. The letter says the teacher would confuse students and their parents.
Canadian Press, October 2
Transgendered teacher files complaint over work loss
An Edmonton teacher has filed a human-rights complaint against a local Catholic school district after the district stopped employing him as a substitute teacher because he was changing his gender.
CanWest News Service, October 3
Stories about the Dalai Lama and his recent visit to Vancouver:
Victor Chan is not your typical dreamer
Focus, energy, determination and street smarts help him run a complex organizational structure while retaining a simplicity of heart
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, October 2
CIFF Day Six: The Dalai Lama's cow-town style & tonight's top flick picks
His Holiness the Dalai Lama was in Calgary yesterday to deliver a one-day workshop on peace, love and tolerance. He was capped with a white cowboy hat - a symbol of honour regularly bestowed to visiting corporate and government VIPs - and feted with a performance by K.D. Lang and Bryan Adams.
Jessica deMello, The Ampersand, National Post, October 2
Earlier: Stories about the Dalai Lama and the Peace Summit in Vancouver
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Stories about abortion:
Support for legal abortion declining in United States, poll suggests
Abortion: It's long been a powder-keg issue in the United States, and it's becoming an increasingly curious one for Democrats, if the findings of a new poll are any indication. The latest Pew Research Center study suggests support is slipping among Americans for legal abortion, while opposition to the procedure has also grown stronger among conservatives.
Canadian Press, October 1
Incivility doesn't begin to describe it
National Catholic Reporter's John L. Allen, Jr. says some pro-life activists are "so shrill, so angry and judgmental" that they're hurting the cause. Incivility may be a crime if all you're fighting is a war of words, but the conflict between pro- and anti-abortion advocates is starting to produce flesh and blood casualties.
Nancy Gall, Holy Post, National Post, October 1
Addicted to abortion
Fifty one rejection letters -- that is the number Irene Vilar received before she finally found someone to publish a tale so extreme it would surely be fiction if it wasn't her personal story: A woman who says she had 15 abortions and describes it as an addiction. The book, Impossible Motherhood: Testimony of an Abortion Addict -- a graphic and disturbing tale of one woman's abortions and her personal quest to understand her actions -- is bound to provoke a fury when it is released next week.
National Post, October 3
Trusted professionals must have freedom of conscience
I met Martha a few years ago, a beautiful young woman. She started frequently visiting the pharmacy, nearly every month, just to purchase a home pregnancy kit. Her hands always trembled, and there was fear in her eyes. Finally I decided to ask her whether she was okay, if not, what was the matter. She looked at me tearfully and confided, "I don't want to go through another abortion and if I get pregnant I know he will leave me."
Cristina Alarcon, Holy Post, National Post, October 8
Earlier: Stories about abortion
Stories about Islam and the West:
The most hated man in Mecca: Meet the cartoonist who set the world on fire
Despite a grey beard and heavy cane making him look every bit his 74 years, Kurt Westergaard dresses like a teenager: bright red cargo pants strapped up by a studded black belt and red suspenders over a black top, capped by a flowing red scarf and black Stetson. His duo-chromatic clothing is perhaps the least shocking part of his appearance, however. As the Danish man who drew the notorious cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammad with a lit bomb wrapped in his turban -- considered the most inflammatory of 12 cartoons published four years ago this week that ignited a deadly furor -- it is the absence of security and the carefree way he stands outside smoking that is most striking.
National Post, October 4
Racism in paradise
A Saudi cleric named Sheikh Muhammad al-Munajid has promised on Saudi TV that the virgins we Muslims will get in paradise will be white. If you blow yourself up in a martyrdom operation, you'll be rewarded with 72 pure women, and not one of them will be black or Indian, or even Arab or Iranian.
Tarek Fatah, Full Comment, National Post, October 5
Freedom's Curmudgeonly Hero
Tonight on my daily television program, The Michael Coren Show, my guest will be a wanted man. Indeed three people were arrested last year for plotting to murder him and he is under constant police protection because his life is under permanent threat. Yet 74-year-old Kurt Westergaard resembles a kindly uncle more than a danger to the state. And truth is, he's only seen as a danger if it's an Islamic state.
Michael Coren, National Post, October 6
In praise of leftist refuseniks
Has Jack Layton converted to Islam? That's what activist Tarek Fatah asked himself last month after the NDP leader sent out an effusive Eid message to Muslim supporters, urging one and all to "renew the spirit and faith in Islam."
Jonathan Kay, National Post, October 6
Muslim lobby group urges Ottawa to ban burkas, niqabs
Middle Eastern garments designed to cover a woman's face are "medieval" and "misogynist" symbols of extremism with no basis in Islam, a Canadian Muslim lobby group said Wednesday as it urged Ottawa to ban the burka and the niqab.
Canadian Press, October 7
Muslim group calls for ban on the burka
A Canadian Muslim group is calling on Ottawa to ban the wearing of the burka in public, saying the argument that the right to wear it is protected by the Charter.s guarantee of freedom of religion is false.
Charles Lewis, National Post, October 7
Earlier: Stories about Islam and the West
Other stories from the past week:
Chiefs, residential school survivors rally for extension of healing fund
Survivors and aboriginal chiefs say the wounds left by residential schools will take more than a few years to mend and Ottawa needs to pour more money into a healing fund which is set to expire next year. About 75 people rallied on the steps of the Winnipeg legislature on Thursday to call for the extension of the fund, which pays for counselling and mental-health services for former students of residential schools.
Canadian Press, October 1
Earlier: Stories about First Nations issues
Creationists, take note: 'Evidence is evidence!'
Author Richard Dawkins takes aim at advocates of intelligent design in his new latest book, The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution
Globe and Mail, October 1
Earlier: Stories about Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins
The case for the seeing-eye horse
The "human rights" bureaucracy has had a grand run sticking it to Christians and other unfashionable groups. The internal contradictions of the rainbow coalition will prove harder to negotiate.
Mark Steyn, Maclean's, October 1
Earlier: Catholic leaders applaud tribunal decision upholding free speech
Religious illiteracy alarms educators
Half of American high-school seniors surveyed recently thought Sodom and Gomorrah were a married couple. A McGill University professor's reference to the patience of Job drew blank stares from students in his religion course. An art history teacher in France found children were mystified by the "strange bird" (a dove representing the Holy Ghost) common in Renaissance paintings.
National Post, October 2
Pickering plans site for Hindu sacred ashes
Hindus across the GTA longing to follow ancient tradition may soon be able to immerse the ashes of their loved ones in a stream close to home.
Toronto Star, October 3
Violence at anti-Scientology protest
I've often been puzzled by the international and well-attended protests against the Church of Scientology, led by the leaderless internet group known as Anonymous since early 2008. Why target this specific religion? Why engage in protests without public spokespeople? And why wear those silly Guy Fawkes masks? Now I have an answer, at least to that last question.
Justin Trottier, Holy Post, National Post, October 3
Patricia Paddey on Robert J. Sawyer -- Wrestling With Life's Biggest Questions
The much hyped, highly anticipated TV series based on Robert J. Sawyer's novel FlashForward is, officially, a hit. (According to Nielsen ratings, 12.4 million U.S. viewers watched the show's premiere last Thursday, causing The New York Times to label the episode one of ABC's "best premieres in the last five years.") But the Canadian author behind the series -- that promises to delve into questions of free will and destiny -- is more likely to thank his lucky stars than to thank God.
Holy Post, National Post, October 3
Manson film has its roots in director's childhood memory
"I went back and read Helter Skelter, and that's when the Leslie Van Houten story got me. She was a Dutch Christian girl, just like my mom."
Vancouver Sun, October 4
The father, the son and the holy goat
Blessing of the Animals in Victoria Anglican Church proves there's even a place in God's home for Gene Simmons, the rooster
Tom Hawthorn, Globe and Mail, October 5
Vancouver's famous "God is dead" author . . . dies
The Vancouver-born author of one of the most famous magazines articles of the 20th century -- Time's 1966 cover story, "Is God dead?" -- is no longer with us. He died in New York City, aged 78. John Elson, who was born in Vancouver in 1931 to a journalist father, penned the piece that broke Time Magazine's 20-year-record for newsstand sales.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, October 5
Parents must consent to HPV vaccine: Archbishop
But B.C. law permits girls to get shots against sexually transmitted virus without permission
Vancouver Sun, October 6
Earlier: Stories about Catholic school boards
Irish missionary risked his life to feed the hungry
Rev. Aengus Finucane was a Roman Catholic missionary and Irish aid pioneer who braved civil wars and learned he must "fight like hell to do any good."
Globe and Mail, October 6
Are religious schools good or bad for Canada?
Is it positive when Sikh, Muslim, Catholic, evangelical and other religious parents send their children to independent faith-based schools? This is a touchy question in Canada, of course. But a study by Canadian sociologist of religion Reginald Bibby is raising some data with serious implications.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, October 7
October 8/2009
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