I have a section in my book (Sacrilege, pp. 71-80) on the abuse of boys at the Mount Cashel orphanage in Newfoundland. The boys had complained to the police for years, but the police and the newspapers covered up for the Church. Shane Earle finally was able to go public and there was a public investigation. According to the Canadian Broadcasting Company, Earle had told the police about Father Raymond Lahey:
Twenty years ago, Earle and his brother Shane Earle testified at Newfoundland and Labrador’s Hughes inquiry into the Mount Cashel orphanage, where they suffered abuse as children.
Shane Earle says he told police back then that Lahey befriended him when Lahey was a priest in Mount Pearl, but the friendship ended when Earle and another boy found pornographic videos and photos in Lahey’s home.
Billy and Shane Earle said the news that Lahey is facing child pornography charges now has turned their minds back to that horrible time and that they’ve been talking and reliving their experiences with Lahey.
In an email sent to his brother Billy, Shane Earle says he told police 20 years ago the pornography he saw at Lahey’s home was child pornography.
“During the investigation in 1989 I did reveal to police that during a visit to Father Raymond Lahey’s house in Mount Pearl, I found catalogues of child pornography addressed to Ray Lahey. The pictures were of teen boys sexually aroused,” wrote Shane Earle, in an email that Billy Earle showed to CBC News.
Possession of child pornography only became a crime in the 1990s.
Shane Earle’s allegations to a St. John’s newspaper in the 1980s launched the investigation into what happened at Mount Cashel.
The police failed; the Vatican failed.
The police covered up for the Church and respected the Church’s lust for secrecy. Everything is a secret at the Vatican: what did the Pope have for lunch? – It’s a pontifical secret.
Perhaps it is best that the Vatican appoint bishops; but the Vatican should do a thorough and public investigation of the men it is considering as the successors of the apostles.
Thank to Leon Podles for his brilliant book on clergy sexual abuse. Not surprised that information about Lahey was reported long before 2009. It’s the way the Church and civil authorities operated in those days…hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil. Everyone looked the other way while children were being serially raped. Not much has changed, unfortunately, because anyone in the hierarchy who read Leon Podle’s book would have recognized Lahey’s name and probably not said anything about the damnable information.
When I finally sobered up at age thirty I heard it said in an A.A. meeting: You are only as sick as your secrets.” After reading the Ryan report and your splendid book, Dr. Podles, I have come to one conclusion. Raping and torturing children was just a way of life for many priests and religious orders. But why? Maybe it is because “holy mother church” teaches what isn’t biblically correct. My non-denominational bible teaching church, Calvary Chapel in F0rt Lauderdale continues to grow.It now surpasses 25,ooo in weekly attendance. We have planted many other churches throughout this country and even one in Rome! When your church is built on the solid rock of God’s word, and not the shifting sands of papal infallibility, God blesses your work. When you “replace God’s word with the word of man,” you let Satan in. Throw in years of secrecy and cover ups by police,bishops,cardinals, and even lawmakers, you have what the Roman Catholic church is today. A dead church.”The Voice of the Faithful” continues to believe in “keeping the faith and changing the church.” Build on the solid rock of God’s word and “confess to one another,” as instructed in the bible” and your church will be blessed. Ours is. Kurt Gladsky, Founder: Christian Brothers Sexual Abuse Survivors Network Delray Beach Florida, Towson Maryland. http://www.calvaryftl.org
I thought the police must have been on to Lahey concerning kiddie porn and likey sex with children. Why else would airport authorities have decided to search his laptop upon re-entry into the country? There’s a lot more to this story. I would not be surprised to hear about a child sex ring involving other bishops and priests. Excellent Canadian police work!
lahey UR GAAAYYYYY
Leon, what’s the Vatican’s last name?
There is no such person as “The Vatican”, merely a phantom construct to be used to draw attention away from the reality that while the church may indeed be a mystical body, it’s a mystical body which makes not a damned bit of difference.
HOLY SMOKES!!! THIS JUST GETS WORSE AND WORSE.
I am not one bit surprised at this. Again with the church knowing, ignoring the threat to the children of parishioners, and moving the creep. Please people, do not under any circumstances trust the catholic clergy. Protect your children. Despite what the hierarchy might want you to believe, our children are far more important than these arrogant molesters.
With all the news of the church and abuse it is interesting that provinces like alberta still use tax payers money to fund catholic schools. Nf smartened up and dropped them years ago
enough is enough.let priests marry and have a normal sex life .then the married normals can weed out the kinkies and put them in an institution where they can not harm any more of our children,has bishop favro looked after all the victims of sexual abuse in his present diocoses ,prior to be given an even higher position when he obviosly was incapable of handling the one he had ,.we are not paying any more claims
Allowing priests to marry to have a normal sex life is preposterous!!! these men are mentally ill and marriage will not cure it!!!
for so many, it does take a bishop to engage in this kind of activity to realize that the catholic church is in dire straits. over the years, i have engaged in conversations with catholic priests only to be told that i have a pessimistic view on things and that i am simply of less knowledge than they are. the alcoholism and incredibly unusual behavior was, early on, an indication of what life was like for them. i am part of a family that would be incredibly angry at anyone, in any way, that would hint at any negativity towards my uncle, a very high-profile catholic priest.
MNAVcb http://gdjI3b7VaWpU1m0dGpvjRrcu9Fk.com
Bishop Lahey,
Satan knows all of our weaknesses. I prefer to judge you by your lifetime of merit. Let he amongst us that is without sin cast the first stone. In Jesus’ name I forgive you.
Happy New Year.