The remains of a Catholic priest suspected of having sexually abused children have been exhumed and removed from Kahnawake, months after members of this Mohakw community voted in a referendum.
The Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, south of Montreal, says the remains of Father Léon Lajoie, who died in 1999, were exhumed Wednesday from the grounds of the Saint-François-Xavier mission. Father Lajoie, a Jesuit, arrived in Kahnawake in 1961 and was pastor of Saint-François-Xavier until 1990.
“It was important to remember as a community that this has been a difficult and emotional issue,” the council said in a statement. It was important to carry out the relocation in a respectful and dignified manner, as required by such a solemn occasion. As a community, we must continue to find the path to true healing. »
Last summer, several members of this community maintained that Father Lajoie had assaulted them, and they asked that his body be removed from Kahnawake, in order to begin a healing process. In a referendum in March, the citizens of Kahnawake voted 233 to 195 (54%) in favor of the exhumation and removal of the priest’s remains.
Melissa Montour-Lazare, spokesperson for the group that called for the exhumation, says the removal of the remains has been liberating for those who say they were assaulted by Father Lajoie.
“It’s their way of turning the page,” she said Thursday. I think they can now begin their healing process knowing that he is gone and they will no longer see people laying flowers on his grave and talking about him as a great person. »
According to Ms. Montour-Lazare, the referendum last March was a difficult process for the victims, who felt humiliated. “When these people were brave enough to come out of the shadows and speak out publicly, they were put to a referendum to determine, basically, whether they were believed — yes or no,” she said.
The exhumation also came up against resistance from the band council and the faithful of the parish, said Ms. Montour-Lazare.
“Actions speak louder than words”
But for her, this exhumation is part of the reconciliation process. “If you want to start taking action here, that’s what it entails: real action, not empty promises, as we’ve been hearing from the start. »
Ms. Montour-Lazare believes that the larger process of reconciliation also includes Pope Francis’ acknowledgment last month that genocide has taken place in federal residential schools.
“The relocation (of the remains) of this priest was part of this reconciliation. Gestures speak louder than words and, in this case, money does not help: we cannot undo what has been done,” said Ms. Montour-Lazare.
The Jesuits of Canada had indicated in a press release on Wednesday that they would welcome the remains of Father Lajoie “in his planned resting place”. After the March referendum, the Jesuits had already indicated that “they would take care of the reburial of Father Lajoie” at their cemetery in Saint-Jérôme and that they would cover the costs.
The Jesuits indicate Wednesday that the repatriation of the remains of Father Lajoie was planned in consultation with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, the community and the parish council of Saint-François-Xavier.
An investigation commissioned by the Jesuits found no evidence of assaults allegedly committed by Father Lajoie. However, the private investigation firm commissioned by the Jesuits concluded that a “serious sexual assault” had been committed between 1976 and 1979 at the Saint-François-Xavier mission.
Last March, the Jesuits said the report had not “clarified all the allegations” against Father Lajoie and that further investigation would be carried out.