Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet denies sex-crime allegations made against him by a woman in 2020.
On Friday, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec City confirmed it had received a second complaint against Ouellet, the former archbishop in the provincial capital.
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A Vatican investigation was launched after the second complaint against Ouellette, but Pope Francis decided “not to uphold the accusation against the cardinal,” who now serves as head of the Vatican’s office of bishops
In a written statement sent to the media today, Welle confirmed his involvement in the investigation and said he had “nothing to hide”, adding that he had acted with “full transparency” throughout the process.
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Welle denies engaging in any “reprehensible conduct” toward the woman and says no complaint has been filed against him in civil or criminal court.
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The allegations about the cardinal first surfaced last summer in a class-action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec, and last week one of the plaintiffs revealed her identity and accused the Catholic Church of trying to silence her through “threats and intimidation.”
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Pamela Grollo, one of the 140 plaintiffs behind the lawsuit, said she initially kept her identity a secret to protect her family, her job and her mental health.
In the lawsuit, Groleau accused Ouellet of several incidents of sexual assault between 2008 — when she was 23 — and 2010, including sliding his hand down her back and touching her buttocks at an event in Quebec City.
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The claims have not been tested in court, and Ouellette last month sued Grolo in Quebec Superior Court for defamation, denying the allegations and seeking $100,000 in damages
The second allegation was reported this week by the French Catholic weekly Golias Hebdo, which also published a letter with the woman’s name redacted – dated June 23, 2021. In the letter, the current Archbishop of Quebec City, Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, informed her that her complaint would not be pursued .
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