Bishop Raymond Lahey Resigns as Bishop of Diocese of Antigonish

Pope Accepts Lahey’s Resignation
The Pope has accepted the resignation of Bishop Raymond Lahey from the post of Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish.

I have received calls from victims wondering what effect the Bishop’s resignation will have on the Class action settlement to compensate survivors of sexual abuse by priests of the Antigonish Diocese.

Compensation Process Will Continue

The answer is that the class action settlement is a binding contract that has been approved by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia. The Bishop’s resignation will have no effect of the obligations of the Diocese to compensate survivors in accordance with the terms of the settlement agreement.

A spokesperson for the Diocese confirmed that the Bishop’s resignation will not change the Diocese’s commitment to survivors. Spokesperson for the Diocese, Father Paul Abbass said:

“After having spoken with Archbishop Mancini, I want to assure everyone, and particularly the victims of sexual abuse, that nothing in the recent court approved class action settlement agreement will change as a consequence of this transition in leadership,”

Father Abbass went on to say:

“Our settlement agreement is more than a legally binding document. It is a call to justice and reconciliation. It involves painful spiritual healing, profound understanding from all and difficult financial sacrifices. While the resignation of our former Bishop will be a loss to our Diocese in many ways, his departure does not diminish the legal and spiritual commitments we have made.”