Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet has vehemently denied having committed “inappropriate gestures” and “sexual assault” against a woman in his country and considers these accusations to be “defamatory”, according to a statement published Friday (19) on the Vatican website. .

Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet has vehemently denied having committed “inappropriate gestures” and “sexual assault” against a woman in his country and considers these accusations to be “defamatory”, according to a statement published Friday (19) on the Vatican website. .

“After learning of the false accusations made against me by the whistleblower (F.), I strongly deny having committed any inappropriate acts against this person,” he said in a statement.

“I consider the disclosure and the interpretation given to his accusations to be defamatory,” said the 78-year-old cleric, current prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, one of the most important positions in the Vatican government. “If a civil investigation is opened, I intend to participate actively so that the truth is established and that my innocence is recognized,” he said.

The complaints against Ouellet were brought by a woman identified by the letter “F.”, who claimed to have suffered several abuses from the cardinal. Ouellet was accused of inappropriately touching her between 2008 and 2010 while he was archbishop of Quebec, according to court documents received in May by the city’s Superior Court.

“F” was identified as a pastoral agent when the events allegedly occurred. The indictment was sent directly to the Vatican in January 2021, when it was referred to Jesuit Father Jacques Servais.

The cardinal is among those closest to the pope and received support from Francis on Thursday after an internal investigation concluded there was no evidence for the allegations.

Other complaints

The complaint against Ouellet adds to testimonies from 101 people who say they were sexually assaulted by more than 80 clergy and lay employees of the Diocese of Quebec since June 1940, according to court documents.

This Thursday, in an official note, Pope Francis ruled out the opening of an investigation into the cardinal, believing that “there are not enough elements”.

For the Jesuit who was in charge of the file, “neither in the written report sent to the Holy Father by the woman nor in the testimony via Zoom that I later collected in the presence of a member of the diocesan committee ad hoc this person has made an accusation which has resulted in an investigation,” the pope’s spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.

The scandal adds to the avalanche of allegations of sexual abuse committed for decades by religious, mainly against minors around the world, an “abominable” crime within the Church, which Pope Francis has promised to punish severely.

In February, during an important symposium at the Vatican in the presence of Pope Francis, Cardinal Ouellet alluded to the “drama of sexual abuse committed by clerics” and castigated “the criminal behavior that has long been camouflaged to protect the institution”.

“We are all divided and affected by these critical issues that challenge us every day as members of the Church,” he acknowledged at the time.

(With information from AFP)