Toronto archbishop: People rightly outraged by Canadian bishop’s child porn

October 30, 2009

In his first public comments on the scandal surrounding Bishop Raymond Lahey, who resigned after police discovered child pornography on his laptop, Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto told a crowd of 1,700 that people are rightly outraged when bishops and priests are complicit in the exploitation of the young.

“The pain of scandal comes first of all because the fact of the evil itself is shocking, especially when it involves the abuse of the young and the vulnerable. To think of the multi-billion dollar industry of sexual exploitation is to be enraged; it is a scourge upon our society,” he said.

“Although those who pause to reflect will recognize that this massive evil industry is hardly being sustained by the patronage of the clergy of any faith, if a priest or bishop engages in this iniquity, the outrage is all the more intense, and rightly so, for we who are ordained are called by God, and entrusted with the service of His people; any abuse of that trust is a betrayal of our vows to God, and of the people we are consecrated to serve.”

 

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Further information:

• Church must root out ‘evil’ child porn: Archbishop (Toronto Star)
• Abuse an 'evil' to be dealt with: Archbishop (National Post)