The Archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, is the target of allegations of sexual harassment of a minor. The Primate of Canada's name was added Thursday to a list of alleged attackers filed in the Supreme Court as part of the class-action lawsuit against the Diocese of Quebec.
The acts alleged against Mgr. Lacroix allegedly occurred in Quebec City in 1987 and 1988 against a 17-year-old. These allegations have not yet been proven in court.
The archbishop's press secretary, Valérie Roberge-Dion, responded with a statement sent to the media late Thursday. “We are still in shock and trying to understand the new developments in the class action file,” she wrote. Different versions are being spread about the facts of which Cardinal Lacroix is accused. We try to understand and can comment later. » The firm Stein Monast, which represents the Diocese of Quebec, refused to respond to the allegations against Cardinal Lacroix.
When he was appointed Archbishop of Quebec in 2011, Mgr. Lacroix automatically became Primate of Canada, an honorary title. In Rome, the 66-year-old is a member of several constituent bodies of the Roman Curia, including the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
Judge Bernard Godbout approved the class action lawsuit against the Diocese of Quebec in May 2022. On Thursday, lawyers representing the victims filed a motion to expand the class action to include the Séminaire de Québec, the Oeuvre du Grand Séminaire de Québec, the François-de-Laval-College (formerly the Petit Séminaire de Québec) and Mutual Insurance from factories in Quebec.
Hundreds of suspected attackers
To date, 147 alleged victims have come forward as part of this class action lawsuit. The allegations target more than a hundred priests or employees.
Among them is Cardinal Marc Ouellet, former head of the Congregation for Bishops (also called the Dicastery for Bishops) in the Vatican. In January 2023, Pamela Groleau came out of the shadows to publicly denounce the unsolicited touching she said she suffered at the hands of Cardinal Ouellet between 2008 and 2010 in the Diocese of Quebec. Marc Ouellet denied having committed these acts.
According to the law firm Arsenault Dufresne Wee, which represents the victims, negotiations took place between the affected parties in 2022 and 2023. However, these discussions took place for reasons that fall within the framework of the confidentiality obligations in accordance with Art.
According to Me Alain Arsenault, the appearance on the list of suspected attackers of the name of Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, a cardinal considered a potential successor to Pope Francis, will not necessarily encourage the diocese to seek a compromise.
“After a year of negotiations without an amicable settlement, I assume that there will be a court case. If the diocese comes back with a proposal, we are required by the ethics rules governing the legal profession to present it to our clients. They are the ones who decide, who have the final say, but I don't think the Church wants to present an agreement. I could be wrong, but I think she wants a trial and that is her most legitimate right. We are preparing for battle. »
The lawyer assures that the plaintiffs want to be heard in court, despite the venerable age of some of them. “We have had consultations and people have told us they are prepared to go to court. They tell us: “If [l’Église] I don't understand, we'll leave.” »
The original filing, updated Thursday, states that the defendants in this class action lawsuit have combined assets of more than $311 million. “They told us that they had no money to compensate,” concludes Me Arsenault, “then it's 311 million.” I think that's enough. »
An earlier version of this article reported on actions criticized by Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, which were cited in legal documents filed in court. These documents turned out to be flawed: the only acts the cardinal was accused of involved touching.