Pope Francis has named André
Denis, a retired judge of the Quebec Superior Court, to investigate
sexual assault claims against Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix.
Francis
asked Judge Denis in a February 8 letter to investigate the 66-year-old
cardinal who faces accusations of sexually assaulting a teenager in the
1980s.
The pope's
request tasks the retired magistrate with a preliminary canonical
investigation of Lacroix, who has been archbishop of Quebec since 2011.
Cardinal "categorically" denies the allegations
Canadian
media reported on January 25 that the cardinal was named in court
documents alleging sexual assaults within his current archdiocese.
The documents were a part of a class action lawsuit authorized by the Quebec Superior Court in 2022.
It covers anyone who was sexually assaulted by individuals under the responsibility of the archdiocese dating back to 1940.
The
lawsuit accuses Cardinal Lacroix of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old
girl between 1987 and 1988. Lacroix, who was made a cardinal in 2014,
has "categorically" denied the allegations and announced on January 26
that he would "temporarily withdraw from his activities until the
situation is clarified".
The judge's prior work with the Church in Quebec
By
commission in a preliminary canonical investigation in the charges
against Cardinal Lacroix, the pope instructed Judge Denis to examine
"the facts, circumstances, and accountability of the alleged offense",
according to the February 8 letter that La Croix has seen.
The
purpose of a preliminary canonical investigation is to verify the
"likelihood" of the accusations. At the end of this initial phase, a
canonical investigation may then be opened.
Judge Denis had notably chaired the commission tasked with investigating retired priest Johannes Rivoire.
The 93-year-old cleric was accused of sexually assaulting young Inuits in Canada in the 1960s.
In
December 2020, the judge was also tasked with reviewing archived files
from nine dioceses to document allegations of sexual abuse.
"André
Denis is the only person in charge of the investigation, and it was
possible for him to make his mandate public if he deemed it appropriate.
This morning, we learned that this is what he had decided to do. We
respect his choice," said the Quebec archdiocese on March 4 in an
unsigned statement.
The communique specifies that the
archdiocese will offer its help to the judge if he wishes, but "will not
intervene in the conduct of the investigation or its conclusions".
It adds that the investigation is proceeding without the intervention of the archdiocese.
"I
intend to do my job while respecting individuals and ensuring the
confidentiality of the reports that may be revealed to me," Denis told
La Croix.
Pope Francis specified in his letter to Denis that the
investigation must proceed in accordance with the provisions of the
"motu proprio" Vos estis lux mundi.
This
apostolic letter, which Francis promulgated in May 2019, aims to combat
sexual abuse in the Church by specifying the conduct and procedures of
such investigations.
Distrust of the Church's preliminary investigation
But not everyone has confidence in this investigatory process the pope has opened.
According
to a report by the religious news and information agency "Présence",
which Judge Denis confirmed to La Croix, one of the lawyers leading the
class action against the Quebec archdiocese, Alain Arsenault, asserts
that the alleged victim of Cardinal Lacroix will not meet with the
appointed investigator.
Arsenault sent the judge a letter expressing his doubts about the credibility and independence of such an investigation.
"Some
of our clients have already been through this system, and they have
emerged as bruised victims of reprisals. This process has brought them
nothing positive," he wrote.
Arsenault added that "the search for
truth, justice, and reparation for victims is not present in the
actions of the Church in Quebec, except for a few exceptions".