(Quebec) Allegations of sexual assault against the highest leader of the Catholic Church in Canada have echoed as far as the Vatican. Pope Francis has just tasked a retired judge with investigating allegations against Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix.
Former Superior Court magistrate André Denis was entrusted with this mandate on February 8 in a letter signed by the Pope himself. He will have to produce a report.
“I intend to do my work with respect for people while ensuring the confidentiality of any comments that may be reported to me,” assured Mr. Denis in an email to The Press. He has so far refused to grant an interview.
Remember that the name of Cardinal Lacroix appeared on January 25 in a major collective action targeting several Catholic institutions, including the diocese of Quebec.
Cardinal Lacroix is the target of allegations of touching a 17-year-old girl, which have not yet been tested in court. The document filed with the court specifies that the alleged assaults occurred in 1987 and 1988 in Quebec.
Cardinal Lacroix “categorically denied” these accusations. “Never, to my knowledge, have I made any inappropriate actions towards anyone, whether minors or adults,” assured the primate of the Catholic Church of Canada in a video of six minutes.
The plaintiff, who was added to the collective action, was very involved in the Catholic Church, explained in January the lawyer leading the case, Alain Arsenault.
“His parents were very religious people. The events occurred during biblical meetings that Mr. Lacroix hosted. He took her to another location and allegedly told her not to tell her mother because it would kill her. She waited until her mother died before contacting us,” explained M.e Arsenault to The Press.
The major collective action had 147 members at last count. These people have so far denounced alleged attacks by more than a hundred priests or staff members of the diocese of Quebec. The sexual assaults are believed to have been committed between 1942 and 2018.
A former judge accustomed to the Church
Pope Francis, informed of these allegations, therefore decided to request an internal investigation.
“In order to follow up on this report made in the specific context of a Collective Action in Quebec, and considering the need to conduct an investigation into the facts, circumstances and imputability of the alleged offense, I appoint you as investigator in order to conduct the investigation provided for in Article 13,” we can read in the missive sent by the Vatican to former judge Denis.
Article 13 in question is that contained in an apostolic letter in the form of motu owner promulgated in May 2019 by Pope Francis and which aims to combat sexual abuse in the Church. This article refers to the possibility for the pope to appoint a person to assist him in an investigation.
Note that former judge Denis is not in his first investigations into cases which concern the Church. He received a research mandate in 2020 from the Archbishop of Montreal. André Denis had listed, by going through public and secret archives, 87 abusers in 9 dioceses, reported Info presencea religious information site.
Former judge Denis must also produce within a few weeks a highly anticipated report on Johannes Rivoire, an Oblate targeted by several accusations of sexual assault, who fled to France.