Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet denies sexual assault allegations

Ouellet, a outstanding determine within the Catholic Church, ‘firmly’ denies accusation he sexually assaulted a girl in Quebec.

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet has been accused of sexual misconduct throughout his tenure as archbishop of Quebec Metropolis, Canada [File: Andrew Medichini/AP Photo]

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet has denied that he sexually assaulted a girl greater than a ten years in the past throughout his tenure as archbishop of Quebec Metropolis, a day after the Vatican mentioned there was “inadequate” proof to open an investigation.

Ouellet was named in a class-action lawsuit, first made public this week, that accuses clergy and employees members of the Quebec Catholic archdiocese of committing acts of sexual assault because the Nineteen Forties.

“I firmly deny having made inappropriate gestures on her particular person, and I take into account the interpretation and dissemination of those accusations as sexual assaults to be defamatory,” Ouellet mentioned in an announcement on Friday, his first public feedback on the allegations.

“Having learnt of the false accusations made towards me by the complainant, I strongly deny having made inappropriate gestures in direction of her.”

The lawsuit has put the Catholic Church within the highlight in Canada weeks after Pope Francis visited the nation to apologise for the church’s mistreatment of Indigenous kids at residential faculties.

Ouellet accompanied the pope on that go to and is taken into account by consultants to be a possible successor.

Canadian media reported that greater than 100 victims have alleged within the authorized submitting that they had been victims of sexual assault, principally once they had been minors and predominantly within the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties.

The lawsuit accuses the 78-year-old Ouellet of touching and making inappropriate feedback to a former pastoral intern between 2008 and 2010.

The grievance states that Ouellet’s accuser, recognized in court docket paperwork as “F”, informed colleagues about one of many alleged incidents.

The Vatican has been conscious of the allegations towards Ouellet since 2021 however mentioned this week that a preliminary evaluation discovered inadequate proof to justify an investigation.

Ouellet has mentioned that he'll struggle the accusations if the lawsuit strikes ahead.

“Ought to a civil enquiry be opened, I intend to actively take part in it in order that the reality is established and my innocence acknowledged,” he mentioned in Friday’s assertion.