Bishop Paul Andre Durocher Installation and Victim Protest

From Dick's projecttruth2.com website

The following is Dick Nadeau’s account on the victim protest at the 17 June 2002 installation of Bishop Paul Andre Durocher as Bishop of the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall.  The account was posted on Dick’s website, www.projecttruth2.com 

June 17, 2002

Tonight we witnessed the pomp and glory of the investiture of  the Diocese of  Alexandria-Cornwall’s new bishop. It did not go as one would wish. Some 150 placard-carrying Catholics (mostly) representing the Coalition for Action on Child Sexual Abuse in Cornwall, walked the front and west sides of  St. Finnan’s cathedral in Alexandria, much to the dismay of the invited guests.

Most priests and invited laity rejected the Coalition’s pamphlet explaining what we were doing there. Most had their heads bowed and would not look us in the eye. Some were very vocal in their address to us, telling us where to go in very non-Christian language. Even some 4^th degree Knights of Columbus standing in front of the cathedral doors, dressed in all their regalia,  got into the act and gave us the finger which of course, was returned. That’s about all the conversation that these foolish-looking men can muster, even at the best of times.

Those priests present who did not want to see “a familiar face” within the crowd, entered by the back door of the cathedral. Those that didn’t, walked through the gauntlet and  entered by the side door avoiding all eye contact with anyone. I did not see our MP Bob Kilger but according to those who did see him, he rushed through the crowd, not willing to answer questions or possibly confront me again. It was a quiet demonstration except for some victims who heckled the priests coming in and I count myself as one of them.

At one point, the OPP showed up with their dogs, thinking that the demonstration might turn out to be a G7 protest. The dogs left but several officers stayed and occupied the high ground that is the cathedral’s front lawn, while we walked the sidewalks.

The media was out in force and joined the scrum when the new bishop Paul-Andre Durocher met with the crowd and began to answer their questions. Again he reiterated that he knew little of the sexual abuse problems dogging the diocese. He was challenged by several demonstrators on that issue, No one believed him. They found it too hard to accept, that in taking this position, the bishop would not have been briefed on the issues facing him

He was asked by a victim if he would remove the offending diocesan priests. Only if it was proven that they were found guilty in a court of law was his reply. So fat chance of that happening. He deflected questions about zero tolerance. But he did say that he would form a committee to look into our allegations.

His pat answers angered some people who voiced the opinion that a committee was all about optics, further stating that his committee was just a stall to make himself look good. He refused to wear the black ribbon representing the victims nor would he lend his name to a public inquiry. He deflected answers to questions related to a full disclosure on Diocesan payoffs and cover-ups, referring these to his “committee.”. 

Prior to his meeting with the media and demonstrators, I saw him talking to several female demonstrators and I joined that conversation. I offered my hand which he shook and which I held. I asked him if he would answer some personal questions.

My first question was point blank. “Are you gay?” I asked.

He was taken aback by the question, his face flushed and he stared at me with a puzzled look.

 After a few moments, he composed himself and refused to answer my question. All it required was a yes or no answer.

My next question was “Are you celibate?”

Again he refused to answer the question. I then informed him that according to John Paul XXIII and Canon Law (see the site), homosexuals were not to be ordained in the priesthood, much less bishops. He did not answer that either.

Did he not learn anything from the American bishops and their many scandals?

He then drew away from me to join the throng. Throughout his speaking with the media and the crowd, I continually voiced that he had not answered my questions as to his sexual preference and his celibacy and that gays should not be ordained. Many of the politically correct members of the Coalition did not want these questions asked.

I think those questions are important. If he has broken all his vows and is now adding another i.e. “to protect the Church from scandal,” how will he deal with our homosexual predator priests, beyond his stating that he would remove them if found guilty in a court of law. What a cop-out!

His silence and body language answered my questions. He chose to squirm rather than be forthright on simple yes or no questions. How long will it take to defeat the homosexual culture and agenda within our Catholic Church?

Plus que ça change, plus que ça demeure la mème chose! Like I said before, don’t expect too much from this man of the cloth. The status quo will be preserved. If we expected some kind of renewal in our Diocese, forget it. The good Knights of Columbus who gave us the finger said more than I thought they did.

In a June 18th article in the Cornwall Standard Freeholder, Frank MacEachern writes that in Durocher's homily at his investiture he said that he would take every step to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable in the church. "At the same time I want to state here and now my intention to support and sustain any priest whose reputation has been unjustly tarnished and who has suffered because of rumours, innuendo or false accusations," said Durocher to warm applause.

"I don't think it's a question of one or the other. It's not a question of choosing children or choosing the priesthood. It's a question of protecting children and the priesthood," said Durocher.

No mention of the victims, no apologies to the victims and no outreach to the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of his priests. Protect the priests at all costs. There will be no disclosure, just more bullshit. 

We will have to endure. The cover-up of the cover-ups has already begun. Nothing has been learned and we are now back to square one. The homosexual agenda within the Church and the priesthood wins again. I will never step inside a Catholic church ever again. Those bastards just keep twisting the knife.

Protecting children and protecting priests is an oxymoron. Your kids are more at risk than ever before.