# Bishop negotiates child sex settlement, and then . . . **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 1, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257 "2009-10-01T18:20:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/1 "2009-10-01T18:20:19Z")
There have been many horrendous examples of Roman Catholic priests in the Maritimes sexually abusing children in their care over many decades. In 2003, the Pope appointed Raymond Lahey as bishop for a diocese in Nova Scotia, who as part of his appointment negotiated a $15,000,000 settlement in a class action brought by people who had been sexually abused by priests in that diocese since 1950. In addition to many allegations of ongoing sexual assault, the victims pleaded that “the church, under instructions from the Pope, had a policy to keep sex-abuse allegations against priests secret, with ex-communication as the penalty.” The settlement of the lawsuit was ratified by the Court three weeks ago: > [@](#): > > “Ron Martin and Bishop [Raymond] Lahey had the courage … to try to find a better way to do these types of claims. So I’m very proud to be a part of this process,” said Bruce MacIntosh, lawyer for the diocese. > . . . > Last month, Lahey announced the multimillion-dollar settlement and formally apologized to the victims and their families. > > “I want them to know how terribly sorry we are, how wrong this abuse was, and how we are now trying to right these past wrongs.” [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/09/10/ns-court-sex-abuse-church.html](http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/09/10/ns-court-sex-abuse-church.html) Five days later, Bishop Lahey was caught with child porn while trying to get through Canadian customs, and now there is a warrant out for his arrest. [http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/09/30/ns-bishop-charged.html](http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/09/30/ns-bishop-charged.html) So much for morality. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/2 "2009-10-01T18:25:13Z")
Wow. See indefensible, examples of. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/3 "2009-10-01T18:27:07Z")
Has this fellow met Cesario? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/4 "2009-10-01T19:38:58Z")
It was just research material, don’t ya know? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/5 "2009-10-01T21:15:52Z")
According to the linked article and other news, he’s already resigned and turned himself in. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/6 "2009-10-01T21:20:58Z")
> [@Nametag](#): > > According to the linked article and other news, he’s already resigned and turned himself in. Call me when he nails himself to a cross. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/7 "2009-10-01T21:33:41Z")
Usually when it comes to sentencing, a convicted person will express remorse so as to try to get a lesser sentence. It’s not often that you have the expression of remorse prior to the crime. Too bad he ended up in Canada rather than a missionary to the Papua Sambia. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/8 "2009-10-01T21:52:34Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Call me when he nails himself to a cross. Now that’s just unfair. How’s he supposed to get the second hand nailed in? ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/9 "2009-10-01T21:54:01Z")
The most recent news indicates that Bishop Lahey was a known consumer of child-porn back in the days of the Hughes inquiry about at the Mount Cashel orphanage. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/10 "2009-10-01T22:02:47Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Now that’s just unfair. > > How’s he supposed to get the second hand nailed in? Install a hinge in the crosspiece and he can nail both hands by clapping them. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/11 "2009-10-01T22:10:33Z")
It must be extra excrutiating if one was a religious and faithful Catholic to see this sort of stuff happening. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/12 "2009-10-01T22:46:28Z")
> [@longPath](#): > > The most recent news indicates that Bishop Lahey was a known consumer of child-porn back in the days of the Hughes inquiry about at the Mount Cashel orphanage. That raises a HUGE new question. Did the Pope(or presumably those who advised the Pope) in re: Lahey’s appointment knowingly, or worse, deliberately, put the wolf in charge of the fold? I’m leaning towards no because of the rules threatening excommunication for repeating such charges. Odds are there was this huge culture of head-in-sand going on and the Vatican wouldn’t have known about Lahey, but that downgrades it to negligent ignorance versus whatever it would be if a pedophile was put in charge of handling this situation. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/13 "2009-10-01T23:26:35Z")
Wow is it like baby raper week on the dope or what? ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/14 "2009-10-02T00:40:04Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Install a hinge in the crosspiece and he can nail both hands by clapping them. This gives an entire new meaning to “clap your hands if you believe !”. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/15 "2009-10-02T01:51:09Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Call me when he nails himself to a cross. > [@Miller](#): > > Now that’s just unfair. > > How’s he supposed to get the second hand nailed in? Perhaps **alphaboi867** meant to say “Call me if he needs help nailing himself to a cross.” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/16 "2009-10-02T02:17:18Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Wow is it like baby raper week on the dope or what? Well, it **is** Sweeps week. ---
**Author:** ![fuzzypickles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9d8465/32.png) [@fuzzypickles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fuzzypickles)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/17 "2009-10-02T02:46:52Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > It must be extra excrutiating if one was a religious and faithful Catholic to see this sort of stuff happening. Or maybe, time to find a new God to worship. Or, even better, don’t bother to worship any God at all. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/18 "2009-10-02T03:14:24Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Wow. > > See indefensible, examples of. > > Sheesh. Really. This is one of those “if I had written it as a screenplay it would have been rejected as unbelievable” scenarios. Where do they _ **find** _ these winners? For an entity that is all het up about “avoiding scandal” thay’re sure ineffective at it. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/19 "2009-10-02T03:18:54Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Call me when he nails himself to a cross. OK, he’s 75% finished. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257/20 "2009-10-02T03:30:41Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Where do they _ **find** _ these winners? I really do wonder what sorts of people are attracted to the priesthood. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bishop-negotiates-child-sex-settlement-and-then/512257.md?page=2)