The Archdiocese of Montreal’s ombudsman is critical of the religious organization’s handling of complaints in the fifth quarterly report it filed Monday morning.
In this 31-page report, Ombudsman Marie Christine Kirouack points to a malfunctioning of the complaints processing system, while she reported progress in a previous report. She writes that delays worry and weaken complainants and call into question all their confidence.
Me Kirouack adds that since last June, the delays have become interminable in certain files.
The ombudsman’s most recent quarterly report also provides details on what she describes as serious breaches of the duty of confidentiality and loyalty when handling complaints from the Advisory Committee.
Marie Christine Kirouack explains that an episcopal vicar relayed emails in hidden copy to an outside person in defiance of the confidentiality of the complaint process, by revealing the names of complainants, those of people targeted by complaints as well as exchanges with a external survey firm.
The ombudsman regrets that it was only on November 22 that the episcopal vicar was relieved of his duties, almost three months after his original complaint against him. This is, according to Mr. Kirouack, a delay that is difficult to understand.
Furthermore, the ombudsman’s report reveals that 47 new complaints were received between 1er August and the 1er last October, some of which report abuse.
Of these complaints, seven were sent to the Advisory Committee, nine to Archbishop Christian Lépine, twenty to the Vicars General and eight to the Office of Pastoral Personnel (OPP).
Since the Ombudsman took office on May 5, 2021, there have been 188 complaints. Among them, 41 relate to sexual abuse.
Others dwell in particular on the holding of cemeteries, funerals, the requirement of a vaccination passport, genealogical research, requests for apostasy or labor relations.
In interview at The Canadian Press last April, Marie Christine Kirouack chastised some members of the Church for their attitude towards complaints. Already, she mentioned delays in the progress of investigations caused by the resistance of some to change. However, she added that most of the problems related to the handling of complaints were the result of a lack of organization.