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Cornwall Public Inquiry

Payoff predicament

13 July 2000

In a letter to the editor on today's Opinion Page, Most Rev Eugene Larocque, bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall Diocese, responds to our editorial of June 5 which suggested he should have resigned after it was disclosed the diocese paid an alleged sexual assault victim — a priest has been charged — $33,000 while an investigation into the complaint was under way.

Bishop Larocque points out his blessing to the payment came after obtaining a legal opinion. It was, in hindsight, something less than good advice.

After receiving the payment, the alleged victim refused to co-oper­ate with Cornwall Police Service. The police chief at the time, Claude Shaver, said he was so incensed with the bishop's decision to approve the payout, he complained to the Vatican's representative in Ottawa.

Some might argue the complainant didn't have to take the money and could have continued co‑operating with police. After all, he was an adult at the time. But, the bottom line is the payment shoud never have been made, legal advice or no legal advice.

Legal opinions are road maps. The person paying for the opinion doesn't have to travel the suggested route.

  

The ball was in Bishop LaRocque's court. He, not the diocesan legal team, made the final call. Sad as it might be, he should bear full responsibility for the fiasco and the results.

 

In the aftermath of the uproar over the _.payment, the Bishop announced new guidelines governing allegations of sexual abuse against members of the clergy in the Alexandria-Cornwall Diocese.

  

The guidelines call for the suspension of any priest charged with sexual abuse until the complaint is dealt with by the justice system.

  

It is a logical approach used by most professions.

 

However, since the guidelines were drawn up, a priest in the dio­cese who has been charged with sexual assault remains on the job. There is a publication ban (Quebec court) on the use of his name.

  

Bishop Larocque has told the Standard-Freeholder he has not suspended the priest because he believes this is a case of mistaken identity. The justice system will decide.

 

Bishop Larocque, just as he should never have approved the pay­ment to the alleged victim, should follow the much ballyhooed guidelines and suspend the accused priest, then let the courts decide if it is a case of mistaken identity.

  

[theinquiry.ca note:  The case of mistaken identity referenced above would be that of Father Rene Dube.  In that instance the alleged victim, now a lawyer, did not know the name of the priest but gave police a detailed description.  Police allegedly assumed it was Father Gilles Deslaurier and apparently initially and erroneously identified Father Deslaurier as the alleged molester.  However when the alleged victim was later shown a series of pictures of clergy he immediatley recognized and picked out Father Dube. It is unknown what impact this police error had on proving the allegations against Father Dube in court. The proceeding were conducted in Montreal Quebec in French.   Fr. Dube was NOT found guilty]