Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who was the archbishop of Quebec when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission took place, is among some 88 clergy facing sexual assault charges. It is the first time Ouellet’s name has appeared in the legal proceedings. The civil suit represents more than 100 victims who allege they were sexually assaulted, most of them as minors, by priests and other staff working for the diocese since 1940. Most of the assaults allegedly took place in the 1950s and 1960s, according to class-action documents. Well is by far the most prominent figure among those listed in the class action lawsuit, and the one with the highest standing in the Catholic Church. The cardinal is not facing criminal charges. His alleged victim, identified as “F” in the documents, was an intern as a shepherd from 2008 to 2010, when she says the attacks occurred. He says they happened during public events. “He grabbed me and then … his hands on my back, they went pretty low,” said the complainant, who shared her version of what happened with Radio-Canada’s Enquête team last spring. “Quite intrusive for, let’s say someone who is my senior, who is the archbishop of Quebec.” During this meeting, the cardinal reportedly told her that it was the second time they had seen each other that week, and he might as well kiss her again, since there’s no harm in treating himself a little. “That made me very uncomfortable, especially the word ‘healing’ himself. Like I was his treat,” she said. The allegations the woman shared with the Enquête are the same ones found in the lawsuit documents. On various occasions, Ouellet allegedly held the woman against his body, massaged her shoulders or vigorously stroked her back “up to where the buttocks begin,” each time making her extremely uncomfortable. “I felt chased. It became more and more invasive, more and more intense to the point where I stopped attending events. I tried to avoid being in his presence as much as possible,” she said. Cardinal Marc Ouellet pictured in 2010 when he was still archbishop of the archdiocese of Quebec. (Jacques Boissinot/Canadian Press) At the time, Ouellet was archbishop and head of the diocese. He had the final say in who was hired as a pastoral agent, according to Alain Arseneault, the attorney who represented the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. “You have at that time a young woman in her 20s against a powerful man in a position of power, known around the world at the time, who was maybe 60,” he said. “Like most victims, he froze.” When “F” discussed her concern with those around her, she was told that the cardinal is a warm man and that she was not the only woman who had this kind of “problem with him,” the class-action lawsuit states. A priest active in the diocese at the time told the Enquête that rumors were circulating about the cardinal’s behavior. The priest, who asked to remain anonymous, was one of the clergy to whom the young woman shared what happened with the cardinal. She said they believed her claims. “We couldn’t get over it. He arrived like a sheriff coming to put order in the diocese of Quebec, he was sent from Rome.” he said. “For him to engage in inappropriate behavior with women, we found that very strange of him.” Although the allegations against Ouellet appear less physically serious than other cases listed in the class action, the impact on the victim is nonetheless just as significant, Arsenault said. “It’s hard to imagine that anyone of his intelligence, in his position, was unaware of what he was doing and the consequences it could have,” he said. Well was recalled to Rome and promoted to prefect for the Episcopal Court, the Vatican department responsible for choosing new bishops, in 2010. “F” said once Ouellet left and was replaced by Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, the current archbishop of Quebec, things changed significantly. “He was much more adjusted. If there was physical contact, it was a simple handshake,” he said.
Complaint to the Vatican
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, right, seen here with Pope Francis during a symposium on the priesthood at the Vatican in February 2022, meets regularly with the pontiff. His alleged victim said she filed a complaint with the Vatican in 2021. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images) According to the lawsuit, the woman decided to share what happened to her with the commission tasked with looking into sexual allegations within the diocese of Quebec 10 years later, after a disturbing encounter with another priest. She said she went to see the committee and told them: “I don’t know if I was a victim, but this is my story.” “I felt the need to say it [them] everything I had gone through was inappropriate since I started as a pastoral agent.” She said committee members told her both cases were cases of sexual harassment and allegedly encouraged her to file a complaint. Only then did the commission learn that one of the priests was Cardinal Ouellet, as the woman had not shared the men’s names beforehand. The complaint against Ouellet was submitted directly to the Vatican in 2021. It was assigned to the priest Jacques Servais, a theologian tasked with investigating the matter. A virtual meeting was arranged between the victim and the Vatican, but a year and a half later the woman said she still has not been informed of the end of the investigation.
