Carmen Álvarez Cuadrado
Cardinal Marc Ouellet was falsely accused of sexual assault. This was ruled by a civil court in Canada.
The ruling, to which Rome Reports has had access, orders Pamela Groleau, a pastoral worker, to pay the cardinal 100,000 Canadian dollars. It further states the following:
"Ms. Groleau […] chose to alter her account of the events to attract public attention, but she did so in such a way that she acted recklessly, even maliciously.
The evidence reveals, beyond a reasonable doubt, that her allegations regarding Cardinal Ouellet are unfounded.
The Court concludes that Cardinal Ouellet was the victim of defamation by Ms. Groleau."
One month after the verdict was handed down, and with the appeal period now closed, the cardinal breaks his silence in this interview to share his testimony following these long years of legal battles and to reiterate the Church’s zero-tolerance policy toward abuse.
CARDINAL MARC OUELLET, Prefect Emeritus, Dicastery for Bishops
When I think about the whole affair, from start to finish, it lasted four years. Well, it felt like a nightmare—a very difficult and costly experience—because I had to hire lawyers to defend myself, and this had an impact on my reputation, my moral authority, my health, and many other things.
It all began in 2022. In Canada, a class-action lawsuit was authorized against the Archdiocese of Quebec for child abuse dating back to 1940, in which Groleau included her complaint against Ouellet. The cardinal sued her for defamation.
CARDINAL MARC OUELLET, Prefect Emeritus, Dicastery for Bishops
I didn’t know how long this process might take. I waited four months, until December, but when I saw that they were publicizing other cases—involving priests or even bishops—all of them involving child abuse, I realized that my case was being lumped together with pedophilia. I said to myself, “This is unbearable; I cannot tolerate this,” and so I filed the lawsuit.
The ruling states that Ouellet's moral authority and integrity were significantly compromised.
CARDINAL MARC OUELLET, Prefect Emeritus, Dicastery for Bishops
I think that today, with all the cases that have been publicized, there’s actually a presumption of guilt, and so I felt like I was under this cloud of suspicion and doubt.
Because I saw people who had invited me and didn’t know what to do anymore. So there were cancellations, precautions, and explanations as to why I was at a certain event or had been invited to give a lecture—I was a controversial figure—and all these very unpleasant things.
The judge also adds that the impact of what the cardinal experienced at the end of his career, after a distinguished professional career, is difficult to quantify.
CARDINAL MARC OUELLET, Prefect Emeritus, Dicastery for Bishops
I’m afraid the damage can’t really be undone, but when I think about this, I also think of those who have suffered—the victims of sexual abuse who have suffered more than I have, much worse than I have—and that even when they are recognized as true victims and receive compensation, this does not solve the problem of their pain, which they often carried in silence for decades before they could speak out. So my case is small in comparison to this suffering. That is why, before God, I pray for all those who suffer more than I do, and also for the perpetrators of these crimes.
In his interview with Rome Reports, Ouellet explains his anti-abuse policy throughout his career, from Quebec to the Vatican.
CARDINAL MARC OUELLET, Prefect Emeritus, Dicastery for Bishops
I began fighting against abuse as a priest in 1990, when the case of child abuse at Mount Cashel Boarding School in the province of Newfoundland came to light in Canada. Prevention
This awareness has been developing for a long time, and then, when I was appointed Prefect of the Bishops’ Conference, I guided the bishops with a keen eye on this reality, even making—at times—severe corrections to bishops in this area. So you can imagine that when I am personally attacked, it destroys me in a certain way. It feels as though the pastoral work I’ve done is being stripped of its credibility. But I know very well that… We must continue the fight unequivocally and without ceasing.
With all this on the table, the cardinal decided that the 100,000 Canadian dollars that Pamela Groleau will have to pay him will go—as also stated in the ruling—to the victims of abuse in Canada’s Indigenous communities.
The scandal involving Ouellet broke out right after Pope Francis’s trip to Canada. The pope asked these peoples for forgiveness for what had happened. And, for the cardinal, donating that money was a sign of compassion and a commitment to combating abuse.
