Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix is in turn splattered by allegations of sexual assault as part of the collective action taken against the Diocese of Quebec.
• Read also: Mgr Lacroix on the list of alleged attackers: “It’s boring to say, but it is no longer an exception”
The alleged attacks occurred in Quebec between 1987 and 1988. The alleged victim of Mgr Gérald Cyprien Lacroix was 17 years old at the time.
The acts alleged against the Archbishop of Quebec are touching that occurred during two events, TVA Nouvelles learned.
The teenager came from a very pious family. The actions allegedly committed by Gérald Cyprien Lacroix took place during biblical meetings during which the 17-year-old young woman accompanied her parents.
Gérald Cyprien Lacroix allegedly took her aside in a room behind a closed door and made gestures of a sexual nature towards them.
The alleged victim, now in her fifties, would have kept the secret because she did not want to hurt her very religious parents.
“In the present case, Mr. Lacroix allegedly told the victim: ❝don’t tell anyone about it, especially not your parents, it could kill your mother, a devout Catholic❞. That’s why she waited until her mother died. She called us the first time, the day after her mother’s funeral,” explains Me Alain Arsenault of the Arsenault, Dufresne, Wee law firm which is leading the collective action.
Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance Parish
From 1982 to 1987, Gérald Cyprien Lacroix was secretary general of the Pius .
Then, he was ordained deacon on March 25, 1988 and priest on October 8 of the same year in the Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance parish of the Archdiocese of Quebec.
The legal action targeting the Diocese of Quebec counted 101 victims in 2022. It now brings together 147 alleged victims, including the one who accuses the Archbishop of Quebec, Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, 66 years old.
“The domination of the Catholic Church was such that it succeeded for decades in stifling all this. It is certain that it will shake the pillars of the Church. The first reaction will be silence, denial, it’s terrible. They want revenge,” underlines Me Arsenault.
Allegations against Marc Ouellet
Over the years, alleged victims have denounced nearly 90 clerics.
In August 2022, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, tipped to become pope, was also the subject of an allegation of sexual assault by an intern. The alleged facts date back to 2008. Mgr Ouellet completely denies these allegations.
“Having become aware of the false accusations made against me by the complainant (F.), I firmly deny having made inappropriate gestures against her person,” affirmed Mgr Ouellet in a statement published on the Vatican information site, in August 2022 .
The reprehensible actions against the 147 alleged victims were allegedly committed from the 1940s until today.
VAT NEWS