Quebec archbishop reinstated after sexual misconduct allegations

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QUEBEC — Cardinal Gérald Lacroix announced Monday he will be reinstated as archbishop of Quebec City after a Vatican-mandated investigation released in May found no evidence linking the veteran church leader to allegations of sexual misconduct.

Lacroix, 66, has been fighting a class-action lawsuit against the Quebec City diocese alleging sexual abuse since the allegations first came to light in late January. He took a six-month leave of absence from the litigation.

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In response to the allegations, Pope Francis authorized retired Quebec judge Andre Denis to conduct an investigation. Although the alleged victims did not participate in the investigation, Denis announced in May that his investigation did not exonerate Lacroix or find any evidence to justify an ecclesiastical trial.

In the weeks since the Dennis report was released, LaCroix and others charged in the class action have applied for intervener status, which would allow them to make their case in court. That request is currently awaiting a ruling.

The archbishop, a member of the Pontifical Conference of Cardinals, described the past few months as a “difficult journey” at a press conference on Monday.

“But Judge Dennis’s findings, the support of those around me and the request to intervene (in the lawsuit) may allow my voice to be heard and allow me to resume my ministry in peace,” Lacroix said.

“The community knows the extent to which the Catholic Church in Quebec City condemns this reprehensible behavior and the measures we have taken to prevent it from happening.”

Lacroix’s name was among 15 abusers named in a class-action lawsuit approved by the Superior Court in 2022 that accuses clergy and staff of sexually abusing Lacroix since 1940. The sexual encounters involving Lacroix allegedly took place between 1987 and 1988 in Quebec City when the unnamed female plaintiff was 17. In January, lawyer Alain Arsenault said the alleged victim, now in her 50s, had been reluctant to testify because of the impact her allegations could have on her devout parents.

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Lacroix has denied the allegations, calling them “baseless” and that the charges against him have not yet been tested in court.

Back in May, the Vatican said Denis’ report “does not identify any conduct that would constitute misconduct or abuse,” adding that “no further canonical proceedings are foreseen.”

Denis, a retired Quebec Superior Court judge, told reporters in May that his investigation was incomplete because the complainant refused to participate. But he said he could not find any evidence to substantiate the allegations despite interviews he conducted and extensive searches of church archives. Denis called the cardinal’s record “impeccable.”

A lawyer representing the alleged victims said in May that his clients preferred to testify in court and did not want to participate in the Vatican-authorized investigation because it was an internal church process that lacked credibility.

The allegations against Lacroix are part of the same lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct by Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet between 2008 and 2010. Ouellet, 80, has denied the allegations and countersued the women who made them for defamation. In 2020, he was accused of sexual misconduct again, which he also denied. Ouellet retired from his Vatican post overseeing the powerful office of bishops last April.

Lacroix will lead a Mass for the feast of St. Anne on Friday at the Church of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre in northeastern Quebec City.

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