Mom, lawyer butt heads

Cornwall Standard Freeholder
Terri Saunders

Friday, October 13, 2006 - 10:00

Local News - A church lawyer and the mother of a sexual abuse victim butted heads at the Cornwall Public Inquiry Thursday.

During a line of questioning surrounding the psychological treatment afforded the priest who abused her son, Lise Brisson's voice

became increasingly loud, filling the hearings room.

The 73-year-old mother of Benoit Brisson expressed her lack of faith at the authenticity of documents provided by the Alexandria-

Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese which indicate Rev. Gilles Deslauriers took part in regular therapy sessions for several months in

1986 after her son disclosed the priest had abused him in the late 1970s.

"I don't believe in it," said Brisson. "Not even today."

Diocese lawyer Andre Ducasse showed Brisson a November 1986 report from a Montreal-area psychologist addressed to then-Bishop

Eugene LaRocque in which the doctor writes Deslauriers had been taking part in weekly sessions since February of that year.

Brisson said she had difficulty accepting any suggestion Deslauriers actually participated in treatment, even going so far as to suggest

the report was not written by the doctor but by Deslauriers himself. "I'm convinced that this poor guy who signed it didn't believe this,"

said Brisson, pointing out the wording of the report was similar to Deslauriers' writings she'd read in the past. "He (the doctor) may

have signed this, but he didn't write it."

The document is on clinic letterhead and is signed by a psychologist.

Brisson testified last week one of the things which prompted her and her family to go public with her son's story in May 1986 was a

lack of action on the part of the diocese to deal with the allegations against Deslauriers. When shown dated documents Thursday which

indicate not only the fact Deslauriers was removed from his duties with a diocese in Gatineau-Hull, where he had been transferred, and

that he was under a doctor's care, but which also indicate a letter saying as much had been sent to Brisson and her husband in April

1986, Brisson remained steadfast in her position.

"I have no proof that he did receive treatment," she said, "and I have no proof that he didn't."

Brisson also told the inquiry about a time in 1986 when she met with a man who disclosed to her that not only had he also been sexually

abused by Deslauriers but that he had approached diocese officials about the abuse.

Ducasse pointed to statements Brisson gave in the past about a conversation between herself and the man, whose identity is protected

by a publication ban, when he told her he had spoken to LaRocque but that he wasn't believed and nothing was done about it.

Ducasse said in giving testimony at Deslauriers' preliminary inquiry in 1986, the man said he never went to the bishop with allegations

of abuse.

"He said, 'I never advised the authorities such as Bishop LaRocque of this, probably from fear of the possible consequences,'" Ducasse

said.

"'(It was) out of fear that I would not be believed.'"

Brisson said the man's testimony was a direct contradiction of the conversation she says the two of them had.

"That's not what he told me," she said.

Brisson said the man appeared relieved at being able to share his story with someone who understood his situation.

"He said that I had just opened a door for him," she said.

"He thought he was the only one who had experienced the abuse that Benoit had. He felt he was no longer alone."

Wife hurt by husband's abuse as a child: Cornwall witness

Last Updated: Wednesday, October 11, 2006 | 9:22 AM ET
CBC.ca
The Canadian Press

The former wife of a man who was sexually abused by a local priest told the Cornwall Public Inquiry on Tuesday that the aftermath of the ordeal was directly responsible for the failure of her marriage.

Denise Deslauriers testified Benoit Brisson left her in 1986 because he was unable to come to terms with the abuse he suffered at the hands of Gilles Deslauriers (no relation).

"The life I thought I was going to live didn't happen," she said. "We (she and Benoit) are no longer. That is a consequence of what happened."

Gilles Deslauriers pleaded guilty in the fall of 1986 to abusing Brisson and three other Cornwall boys.

'Lack of comprehension of the seriousness': victim's wife

In the months which followed her husband's disclosure of abuse, Denise said she approached Deslauriers as well as then-Bishop Eugene LaRocque to talk about what happened to Brisson.

She told the inquiry, which is probing the institutional and police responses to reports of child sexual abuse in the Cornwall area, she was shocked by the response she received.

"(There was) a complete lack of comprehension of the seriousness of what was going on (on their part)," she said, "and of the impact, the consequences of the actions of one of their (priests)."
In the spring of 1986, officials within the diocese established an ad hoc committee to look into the allegations against Deslauriers, and
Denise was given the opportunity to tell her husband's story.

"I was … angry at that time and suffering a great deal," she said.

"Knowing that somebody with that predisposition, somebody who might be a pedophile (could continue) in a position where he would have access (to young people) and contact (with them) through his official functions as a priest — to me, that was completely illogical and unacceptable."

Deslauriers was, in fact, continuing in his role as a minister, and was transferred from the local diocese to one in Gatineau-Hull, Que.

Denise said family members opted to approach area media outlets to tell their story before Deslauriers was charged by police because of what they perceived as a lack of action on the part of the diocese.

Vulnerable children should get benefit of doubt: witness

Before leaving the witness stand, she offered a few recommendations as to how the church could better handle abuse allegations in the future.

Her suggestions included the development of a protocol to ensure transparency, the involvement of families in the process and an increase in sexual abuse and abuse of power awareness.

"When there are allegations of abuse, I think it is always wise to give the benefit of the doubt to the most vulnerable — children," she said.

The inquiry was in session only during the afternoon Tuesday.

Although Brisson had originally been scheduled to testify, commission staff opted to move his appearance to Wednesday in order to devote an entire day to his evidence.
© The Canadian Press, 2006

Victim says inquiry won't affect change

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

Terri Saunders

Thursday, October 12, 2006 - 12:00

Local News - A sexual abuse victim doesn't believe the Cornwall Public Inquiry will do much to affect change within the community or the Catholic Church.

Benoit Brisson testified Wednesday about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Rev. Gilles Deslauriers while the priest was a chaplain at Ecole Secondaire La Citadelle in Cornwall in the late 1970s.

The priest, who was working within the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese at the time of the abuse, has since been relocated to a diocese in Quebec.

"After this inquiry is over, I don't think there will be much of a change, especially in the church," said Brisson. "I don't think they (diocese officials) will make it a responsibility to care for the victims."

Brisson testified Wednesday about numerous occasions when he met with Deslauriers as a teenager in the priest's office in an effort to receive therapy for what Brisson has described as "teenage troubles."

Brisson said even though the abuse happened nearly 30 years ago and he has been open about it since the mid-1980s, he's only now beginning to come to terms with the abuse and the effect it had on his life. Brisson said he was dissatisfied with what he perceived as a lack of response on the part of the diocese to deal with the allegations against Deslauriers.

During cross-examination Wednesday, an attorney representing the diocese showed Brisson a series of documents which indicated Deslauriers was removed from his duties in Gatineau-Hull in early 1986 and had been sent for treatment. One of the documents was a letter addressed to Brisson's parents signed by then-Bishop Eugene LaRocque, which indicated the family knew in April 1986 the priest was no longer ministering and was under some form of care. Days after LaRocque penned the letter to Brisson's parents, he wrote another letter, this time to a psychologist overseeing Deslauriers' treatment, seeking a report on the priest's progress. A third document written by the psychologist to LaRocque confirmed Deslauriers had been participating in weekly treatment sessions since Feb. 19, 1986.

Brisson said he did not recall receiving any information from the diocese about Deslauriers.

At the end of Brisson's testimony, Comm. Normand Glaude thanked him for his appearance.

"I take to heart your comments," said Glaude.

"I hope you can take solace in the fact that even if we can prevent one child from being abused, I think that's something positive."
ID- 226969

Abuse destroyed marriage: ex-wife; Sex attacks against Ben Brisson turned life of happiness together into divorce

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

Terri Saunders

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 - 10:00

Local News - On a cold January day in 1986, Denise Deslauriers got the shock of her life: her husband of less than two years was leaving her and their infant daughter.

Sadly, it was not the only shocking piece of news Benoit Brisson would deliver to his wife on that day. He would go on to tell her he was having trouble coming to terms with the emotional aftershocks of the abuse he'd suffered at the hands of a trusted family friend, the man whom the couple had stood before in 1984 when they pledged to love each other forever.

That was, however, not to be, thanks to Rev. Gilles Deslauriers.

"The life I thought I was going to live didn't happen," Denise told the Cornwall Public Inquiry Tuesday. "We (she and Benoit) are no longer. That is a consequence of what happened."

Deslauriers, who is no relation to Denise, would go on to plead guilty in the fall of 1986 to abusing Brisson and three other Cornwall boys. For Brisson, the abuse lasted three years - from 1977 when he was 16 to 1980 when he was 19.

In the weeks and months which followed her husband's disclosure of abuse, Denise said she approached Deslauriers as well as then-Bishop Eugene LaRocque to talk about what happened to Brisson. She said she was shocked by the response she received.

"(There was) a complete lack of comprehension of the seriousness of what was going on (on their part)," Denise said, "and of the impact, the consequences of the actions of one of their (priests)."

In the spring of 1986, officials within the diocese established an ad hoc committee to look into the allegations against Deslauriers and Denise had a chance to speak about the abuse her husband had suffered and what actions the church should take.

"I was . . . angry at that time and suffering a great deal," Denise said.

"Knowing that somebody with that predisposition, somebody who might be a pedophile (could continue) in a position where he would have access (to young people) and contact (with them) through his official functions as a priest - to me, that was completely illogical and unacceptable."

Deslauriers was, in fact, continuing in his role as a minister, and was transferred from the local diocese to a diocese in Gatineau-Hull, Que.

Denise said family members opted to approach area media outlets to tell their story before Deslauriers was charged by police because of what they perceived as a lack of action on the part of the diocese.

"I did not feel supported (and) Benoit had absolutely no faith," she said.

"He didn't trust the system at all.

"There was no attempt to involve us; to inform us."

Under cross-examination by diocese lawyer Andre Ducasse, Denise conceded meetings with LaRocque as well as her and Brisson's inclusion in discussions among members of the ad hoc committee did, in fact, constitute an attempt to involve the family in the work of the church related to the Deslauriers matter.

Before leaving the witness stand, Denise had a few recommendations as to how the church could better handle abuse allegations in the future, including the development of a protocol to ensure transparency, the involvement of families in the process and an increase in sexual abuse and abuse of power awareness.

"When there are allegations of abuse, I think it is always wise to give the benefit of the doubt to the most vulnerable - children," she said.

The inquiry was in session only during the afternoon Tuesday. Although Brisson had originally been scheduled to testify Tuesday, commission staff opted to move his appearance to today in order to devote an entire day to his evidence.

Priest's sex abuse destroyed union, ex-wife testifies

Ottawa Sun

October 11, 2006

By CP

CORNWALL -- The former wife of a man sexually abused by a priest told the Cornwall Public Inquiry that the aftermath of the ordeal destroyed her marriage.

Denise Deslauriers said Benoit Brisson left her in 1986 because he was unable to deal with the abuse he suffered at the hands of Gilles Deslauriers (no relation).

"The life I thought I was going to live didn't happen," she told the inquiry yesterday. "We are no longer (together). That is a consequence of what happened."

Gilles Deslauriers pleaded guilty in the fall of 1986 to abusing Brisson and three other Cornwall boys.

After Brisson revealed that he was abused, Denise approached Deslauriers, as well as then-Bishop Eugene LaRocque, to talk about what happened to Brisson.

She told the inquiry, which is looking into the institutional and police responses to reports of child sex abuse in the Cornwall area, she was shocked by the response.

"(There was) a complete lack of comprehension of the seriousness of what was going on," she said, "and of the impact, the consequences."

In the spring of 1986, the diocese established an ad hoc committee to look into the allegations against Deslauriers, and Denise was given the opportunity to tell her husband's story.

Meanwhile, Deslauriers had been transferred to a Hull church.

Denise said "knowing that somebody with that predisposition, somebody who might be a pedophile (could continue) in a position where he would have access (to young people) and contact (with them) through his official functions as a priest ... that was completely illogical and unacceptable." 

Ex-Wife Details How Abuse Impacted Their Marriage

October 11, 2006 — She says the abuse her ex-husband suffered destroyed their marriage. Denise Deslauriers shared her story at the Cornwall Public Inquiry yesterday. Her ex-husband, Benoit Brisson, was sexually abused by Father Gilles Deslauriers as a child. Denise Deslauriers says it was a complete shock to her when he finally shared the emotional scars he was trying to deal with. Their marriage of less then two years would end in divorce. Mr. Brisson is expected to take the stand today.

cornwall public inquiry; Brisson, another sex abuse victim, has already had the chance to tell his story

Terri Saunders

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 - 10:00

Local News - Ben Brisson isn't like a lot of other sexual abuse victims who will take the stand at the Cornwall Public Inquiry in the coming months.

For one thing, Brisson's abuser, a city priest who was his family's trusted friend, confidante and spiritual adviser, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting him and three other Cornwall boys in the 1970s and 1980s.

Also Brisson has, in some respects, had a chance to have his say about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Rev. Gilles Deslauriers, and on more than one occasion.

In the spring of 1986, Brisson and his family decided to go public about the abuse after they felt the matter was being ignored by officials with the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese.

Within months following the public revelations, Deslauriers would plead guilty to four counts of gross indecency and be sentenced to two years probation.

Prior to the guilty pleas being entered, Brisson and other victims told their stories during a preliminary inquiry on the charges against Deslauriers.

So when Brisson takes the stand today at the inquiry, he will do so ahead of dozens of victims and alleged victims whose abusers were never charged, never convicted or never even identified.

On Thursday, Brisson's mother, Lyse, broke down in tears several times as she recounted the effect the three years of abuse Ben suffered between the ages of 16 and 19 in the late 1970s had on her family.

For Ben, the abuse resulted in a life filled with textbook-like emotional difficulties faced by adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Failed marriages laid in his wake; he drifted from job to job, about 20 in all by his estimates; he struggled with who he was and why this had happened to him.

In fact, it was the breakdown of one his marriages which served as a precursor for the disclosure of the abuse to this family.

It was in January 1986 Ben called his mother to tell her he was separating from his wife, Denise.

A couple of weeks later, Ben told both his parents about being repeatedly abused by Deslauriers at a time when the priest was giving him guidance and helping him deal with troubles he was having as a typical teenager.

"I remember feeling stupid it happened, and I felt for some reason that maybe I could have done something to stop it," said Ben, in a November 2005 interview with the Standard-Freeholder. "But I just wanted his help so much."

Ben said the priest used the guise of therapy to abuse him.

"I just remember he introduced sexual abuse as part of the healing process," Ben said. "Of course, here I was, thinking it was going to make me better."

Three years after the abuse began, Ben realized the man he thought was his saviour was actually the opposite.

"Here I was, this kid, with all these problems, low self-esteem, and he was going to make me feel better about myself," said Ben, who is now 45 years old.

"It turned out he was hurting me more than anyone ever would or ever could."

"I just remember he introduced sexual abuse as part of the healing process."
ID- 223873

Abusive priest moved closer to victims, mother testifies

Last Updated: Friday, October 6, 2006 | 10:43 AM ET

CBC News

A mother finally received an apology at the Cornwall inquiry on Thursday for the sexual abuse of her son by a school chaplain almost 30 years ago.

Lyse Brisson, 73, wept as she testified about the abuse before the Project Truth inquiry, which is examining the way local police and institutions handled scores of child sexual abuse allegations over decades involving prominent people in the eastern Ontario city.

Following Brisson's testimony, a lawyer for the Catholic Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall said publicly that the head of the diocese, Bishop Paul-André Durocher, was sorry for the abuse.

"He apologizes for the pain at the hands of a priest in whom you put so much trust," said Ottawa lawyer David Sherriff-Scott.

Brisson said she is a devout Catholic, and the priest, Rev. Gilles Deslauriers, had been a close family friend before she learned he had abused her son Benoit over three years in the late 1970s.

Family went to media after church inaction

Brisson complained to the local Catholic diocese after she found out about the abuse in 1986.

In response, the church transferred the abusive priest to a parish in Hull, Que., where he was actually closer to many of his victims.

It wasn't until after Brisson turned to the media that police told the family they were investigating. Deslauriers later pleaded guilty to gross indecency involving four boys, including Benoit Brisson.

Brisson was only 16 years old when the sexual abuse began.

He did not tell his mother about it until years later, when he said it was a reason he had separated from his wife.

Lyse Brisson said the abuse caused emotional damage to her entire family and caused five of her seven children to abandon their Catholic faith.

Benoit Brisson is scheduled to testify at the inquiry next week.

With files from the Canadian Press

****

Bishop sorry for suffering

Cornwall Standard Freeholder
Terri Saunders

Friday, October 06, 2006 - 10:00

Front Page - Nearly 30 years after her son was sexually abused by a priest, a mother was reduced to tears Thursday when a bishop offered a formal apology for her family's suffering.

Lyse Brisson had just finished testifying at the Cornwall Public Inquiry about the abuse her son, Benoit, suffered at the hands of Rev. Gilles Deslauriers over a three-year period in the late 1970s and its impact on her family when an attorney for the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese came to the microphone and began to speak.

"(Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher) apologizes for the pain you have suffered at the hands of a priest in whom you put so much trust," said David Sherriff-Scott. "The bishop wants to assure you personally that he and the members of the diocese want to learn from these events."

Tears streamed down the 73-year-old woman's face as Sherriff-Scott told her Durocher would like to work with families such as hers to further address abuse issues in the community and establish ways to better handle similar situations in the future.

"He (Durocher) wants you to know that he's watching your testimony today," said Sherriff-Scott, "and that he hopes and prays that the pain that you have experienced will not be in vain."

While on the witness stand Thursday, Brisson talked about the time her son told her he had been abused by a priest whom the family held in high regard. It was in early January 1986 when Ben called to tell her he was separating from his wife.

"(He said it was) on account of a person who had caused him problems," said Brisson, "but he couldn't tell me who it was at that time."

Within a couple of weeks, Ben visited his parents and told them he had been sexually abused by Deslauriers over a three-year period, beginning in 1977 when he was 16 years old and the priest was serving as a chaplain at a city high school.

Brisson said Deslauriers had been a close friend of the family, had shared in celebrations and had even married some of her seven children. She said she contacted the diocese and spoke to a priest there who told her Bishop Eugene LaRocque was out of town.

"He (the priest) said, 'Leave it with me. We can pray about it. Just leave it to me,'" said Brisson.

She said initially the family thought they could deal with the matter within the church, but she said in time, after no action was taken on the part of the diocese and Deslauriers relocated to a diocese in Gatineau-Hull, the family decided to take matters into their own hands.

They contacted the media and within days, Ben's story was broadcast on local television and radio stations. Just as quickly, Brisson said, police informed the family two officers had been assigned to investigate her son's allegations.

Within months, Deslauriers was arrested and charged with 16 sex-related offences involving a number of young boys in the Cornwall area. By the time his matter was set to go to trial, the number of charges had dropped to 11, but just before the trial was set to begin, the priest pleaded guilty to four counts of gross indecency involving four boys, one of whom was Ben.

The judge in the case handed Deslauriers a sentence of two years probation.

"(You were told of) the sentence the judge had ordered," said Pierre Dumais, commission counsel.

"Well," said Brisson, "if you can call that a sentence, yes."

"You didn't agree with the sentence?" asked Dumais.

"It was so vague," said Brisson. "We didn't know what was going on." In the days following the decision, Brisson received a visit from the two police officers who investigated her son's case.

"What were their impressions of the sentence?" asked Dumais.

"I think it was the same as mine," said Brisson. "I don't think they were satisfied with what had happened."

In the years following the case, Brisson said the suffering her son endured and the resulting lack of action on the part of the church caused great emotional damage to her family, including Ben's six siblings.

"Our children felt betrayed by all of this," she said. "Everything which had been taught to them was meaningless."

Brisson broke down in tears when she was questioned about her family's involvement with the church today.

"Two of my children have resumed their religious practice," said Brisson, frequently wiping the tears from her cheeks, "and the others have abandoned the faith."

"This is very important to you?" asked Comm. Normand Glaude. "To be a practising Catholic?"

"Well, for my husband and myself it actually strengthened our faith," said Brisson.

"For our children, it was quite the opposite."

The inquiry will resume Tuesday when it's expected Ben Brisson will take the stand.

Moms feel the pain

Describe abused sons' struggles

October 6, 2006

By MARK BELLIS, OTTAWA SUN

CORNWALL -- Two mothers described yesterday how decades-old sexual abuse haunts their lives.

"My children lost their faith," said Lise Brisson, 73, whose son Benoit was abused by Gilles Deslauriers, a Cornwall priest and chaplain at the local French high school.  

Brisson was testifying at the Cornwall Public Inquiry looking at how the city's institutions responded to allegations of abuse.  

PRIEST TRANSFERRED

Brisson wept as she told how the truth came out only after her son's marriage broke down in 1986, eight years after the abuse, which happened when he was 16.

A devout Catholic, Brisson wanted to keep the matter inside the church, but became worried after hearing that Deslauriers had been transferred to Hull, and she did not know whether he was getting treatment.

After she was contacted by other victims, who said they had been abused by Deslauriers, Brisson said she was told by the diocese to let the matter drop. She persisted, which led police to charge Deslauriers, who received three months' probation.

Brisson sobbed as she described how she went to then-Bishop Eugene Larocque to ask for a loan for her son to see a psychiatrist. He refused.

"When your child, who is 35 ... comes to you in tears, what can you do?" she asked.

Brisson recommended the church do more to return the "stray sheep" that had been driven away by abuse.

"Justice, freedom and reconciliation can co-exist."

Juliette Seguin, mother of Larry Seguin, who said he was abused by two men when he was 6 and 16, testified how the first alleged abuser could not be charged because police said they could find no physical evidence, and that when he was abused the second time, she got little information from the police, who did charge and convict the abuser.

Bishop Apologizes At Inquiry

AM 1220 Cornwall News

October 05, 2006 — A surprise apology at the Cornwall Public Inquiry today from the local bishop. After some very emotional testimony, the diocese's lawyer delivered an apology on the bishop's behalf to an abuse victim's mother. Lise Brisson testified about abuse her son Benoit suffered nearly 30 years ago. Priest Gilles Deslauriers pleaded guilty to gross indecency charges in 1986. Benoit was one of his victims. Diocese lawyer, David Sherriff-Scott, read a two page letter from bishop Paul-Andre Durocher. The inquiry resumes next Tuesday.