CANADA
The Chronicle-Herald
It was a tradition steeped in 160 years of history at St. Francis Xavier University. But that tradition is no longer.
The province passed legislation on Thursday that removes the requirement for the bishop to serve as chancellor at the Antigonish university, thereby opening the door for the first time to women and non-Catholics to fill that role.
“It is respectful to the church,” Kim West, chairwoman of the university’s governance committee, told MLAs on Thursday. “It is responsive to the concerns raised by students, alumni and others, and it strikes an appropriate balance. It will enable the university to move forward in confidence to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”
The movement to make the change began about four years ago when students on campus protested the bishop’s role after former bishop Raymond Lahey was caught at an Ottawa airport with hundreds of pornographic images of young boys on his computer. Lahey was sentenced to 15 months in jail and was later stripped of his clerical powers.
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