Catholic Bishop Raymond Lahey will go on trial in April 2011 on charges he was caught with images of child pornography on his computer at the Ottawa airport.
The trial has been set for April 26 that year, with court time booked until May 16. Assistant Crown attorney David Elhadad said prosecutors expect to call 16 witnesses.
Lahey, 69, was in charge of the diocese of Antigonish, in Nova Scotia, until last summer.
He was flagged by customs authorities when he landed on Sept. 15 at the Ottawa airport because his passport revealed extensive travel to countries notorious as sources of the illicit material, a court document alleges.
Lahey was charged on Sept. 25 with possessing and importing child pornography.
The next day he resigned his position as bishop of the Diocese of Antigonish - though his only explanation for leaving was he needed time for "personal renewal."
Before he resigned, Lahey had overseen a historic, $15-million, out-of-court settlement with people who were sexually abused as children by a former priest in the diocese.
The bishop has been living at a Catholic priests' residence in Ottawa.





