The pope must take advantage of his visit to Quebec to heal the still gaping wounds of thousands of adults abused, in childhood, by the pedophile priests of his Church, believe victims and their representatives in a letter which they address directly, and in three languages, to the Holy Father.
French, English, Italian: the message must resonate to the ears of the sovereign pontiff, claim the lawyers Marc Bellemare and Alain Arsenault. To make it heard as far as the Vatican, the latter also sent it to the press in Italy.
Out of the question, specify the two lawyers, to overshadow the Aboriginal claims, the main reason for François’ stay on Canadian soil. “We stand 150% in solidarity with the victims of residential schools. The question is not there, explained the former Liberal Minister of Justice and Mr.e Arsenault, both carriers of several collective actions against congregations and dioceses accused of having silenced, and often tolerated, the abuses committed by their members. We simply do not want the condition of the victims of priests to be passed over in silence and the pope to return to the Vatican without having heard us. »
The letter demands that the pope apologize to the victims of priests, but also that he bring the Church of Quebec to heel. Aggressors and victims are aging and many have left this world before undergoing – or obtaining – justice. Time is running out and yet, denounce the two lawyers, the church pushes each class action brought against it into a maze of legal delays.
“Can you intervene, Pope Francis […] by giving specific instructions to the dioceses and religious congregations of Quebec? asks for the letter. Beyond prayers, the victims expect concrete actions. »
Transparency deficit
The two lawyers, experienced in the cumbersome procedures that arise before a collective action, believe that the Church, when it is in the dock, shows bad faith.
“In 2019, the pope said that papal secrecy was abolished, indicates Me Alain Arsenault. To date, no document has ever been filed as part of a class action. The pope says one thing, but congregations and dioceses do the opposite. The first documents we asked for were the list of attackers. We are still waiting,” laments the lawyer.
According to a compilation given to journalists by the two lawyers, 24 class actions against dioceses and religious communities are currently underway in Quebec. Combined, they represent more than 1500 members and denounce the crimes committed by more than 750 aggressors.
The Archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, has promised to hand-deliver the letter to its addressee. “I will be a messenger, personally bringing this letter to the Holy Father,” he wrote in a press release, adding that the diocese intends to “collaborate with justice” in the cases of sexual abuse that concern him.
The Archbishop clarified that due to a class action lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Quebec for past sexual and physical abuse by its staff, he will not offer any further comment.
lost faith
The victims, they, do not hope for any salvation from the cardinal, the lawyers made it clear.
“Cyprien Lacroix is not open at all, lamented Me Bellemare, Thursday. Neither in meetings nor in discussions. It mandates law firms that do legally correct, but morally questionable work. I don’t know where he’s going to put the letter in the pile of documents he’s going to hand over to the pope…”
Gaétan Bégin, who claims to have been abused in his youth by the priest of his village, hopes that the pope will recognize, during his visit scheduled in two weeks, the past crimes perpetrated in the shadow of the steeples.
“I was treated like trash,” says Mr. Bégin, who accuses the priest Rosaire Giguère of having raped him for the first time at the age of 13, at a time when his mother was suffering from a severe illness. .
“My father often said: our priest is so strong that he can work miracles. In my child’s head, I had thought that by pleasing the priest, he would cure my mother, ”said the man, now 82 years old.
The expected miracle never happened. Death took away the mother, in spite of the prayers and the abuses of the priest, relates Mr. Bégin. “They didn’t just steal my childhood. Most of my life was destroyed. His three brothers too, he says, suffered the depravity of the priest.
The pope’s apology would restore some humanity to him, he believes, in addition to reconciling the values preached by Catholic dogma with the actions of the church.
“It’s funny,” says Dominic Mrais, popular radio host from Quebec, who also maintains that he was abused by a priest when he was young. Parishes are closing churches on the pretext that they have run out of money and yet they are gobbling up fortunes in legal fees. »
Money, he says, will never heal the deep wounds of childhood. “It is justice, concludes the radio man, that we want. »