The fix is in

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Perry Dunlop is a political prisoner. He has spent 153 days in jail – for stepping up to the plate to protect children, and then daring to say he has lost faith in the justice system. This is the institutional response to allegations of childhood sexual abuse.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERRY!  What else can one say on day like this? Sometimes words fail.

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A new blogsite is up and running: CORNWALL, Truth or Denial.

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I have been trying for hours to go through tapes of Father Rejean Lebrun’s testimony.  Such a nuisance not having translated transcripts.  I will give up for now and address the following points:

(1)  Father Leburn testified that in 1970 his 15-year-old brother told him he had been molested by a Father Yvon Royer or that Royer had attempted something on thy boy.  In this instance Lebrun went right to Bishop Proulx and the next day Royer was gone from the diocese!

Father Royer  was ordained in 1962, the same year as Lebrun.  I have no way of determining if Royer attended St. Paul with Lebrun.

Royer was a member of the Voluntas Dei Institute (iv Dei) which is known in the Church as a Secular Institute.  A secular institute can have priests, religious and male and female lay members,  Voluntas Dei was founded in 1958 by Oblate priest Father Louis-Marie Parent.

According to the 1971-72 Catholic Directory of Canada Royer was no longer with the institute in 1971 – he was listed as incardinated in the Archdiocese of Montreal.  In 1991 he was listed as serving in Verdun, still with the Archdiocese of Montreal.  I haven’t checked beyond.

(2)  There is an issue regarding a 29 April 1967 letter or document from a Michel Lalonde .  I believe it is this letter which relates to concerns re Father Lucien Lussier and references to his  relationship with a young boy.

Father Lebrun testified he had never seen the letter prior to preparing to testify at the Inquiry.

There were questions raised regarding “the bishop” seeing the letter.  Lebrun said Bishop Brodeur was sick at the time and the diocese was awaiting the installation of a new bishop. He thought the Vicar General or someone else in the diocese may have been acting as administrator.

My understanding is that Joseph Aurele Plourde was at that time acting as administrator of the diocese.  Plourde, then the Archbisop of Ottawa, had served as auxiliary bishop to Bishop Rosario Brodeur 1964 to 1966.  In January 1967 Plourde was appointed Archbishop of Ottawa – he was installed February 1967.  While he took on he his duties as Archbishop of Ottawa Plourde also served as administrator of the Alexandria diocese until Bishop Adolphe Proulx ( from Sudbury, Ontario) was installed to replace Brodeur in June 1967.

Archbishop Plourde would probably have been contacted regarding such a serious matter.

Plourde, who raised eyebrows when he adopted and raised a young Vietnamese boy,  is retired and residing in the Archdiocese of Ottawa.  He is still often referred to as “shotgun Joe,” reference to an incident at his cottage back in the late 80s or early 90s when Plourde shot and killed a dog which was going after his cat.

(Father Lucien Lussier was charged recently.)

(3) Lebrun testified that in 1965 a 20-year old male came to see him.  The man said he was homosexual and wanted to move his boyfriend into his home with him.  His mother was objecting.  The man asked Lebrun what he thought.  Lebrun allegedly said not a good idea whereupon the male said well what about Father Hollis Lapierre who plays around with kids.

I must say I am surprised to hear that in 1965 a 20-year-old wanted his mother to allow him to bring a homosexual boyfriend to live in.  In those days the average 20 year old wouldn’t even think of asking for approval for a live-in girl friend.

Anyway, nothing happened to Lapierre ( no relation to Father Paul Lapierre).

(4) In cross-exam the door was opened to indicate that Lebrun might have approached the mother of a Paul Lapierre victim before Lapierre was convicted. I checked back – Lapierre said very specifically in his examination in chief that he approached the woman after Lapierre was found guilty in Quebec. That struck me – I couldn’t not fathom why he waited until after the guilty verdict.

(5)  Lebrun talked about acts of vandalism in which “paedophile haven” was painted on his church.  He attributed the vandalism to what he called the wave of “hysteria” which had gripped the community in the wake of clerical sex abuse allegations. Lebrun said the clergy was “traumatized.”

(6) According to Lebrun the diocese funded the Bishop Larocque et al in their lawsuit against Dick Nadeau, James Bateman, the Wanderer et al. And according to Lebrun it was also the diocese which picked up the tab on costs awarded to defendants who were awarded costs. As far as I can see that may have amounted to a figure just shy of $20,00.

There is a puzzling outstanding issue regarding this whole matter.  Seems there is a draft document of minutes regarding settlement. David Sheriff-Scott refused to turn over the final copy without arguments. The matter was not pursued yesterday.  Perhaps when Larocque takes the stand?

I believe this may well relate to talk of the clerical plaintiffs settling with the Wanderer defendants for a little more than costs.

(7) It seems that it was Jeannine Seguin, the principal of La Citadelle High School, who hired Father Gilles Deslaurier as chaplain for the school.  It seems also that Seguin then asked Lebrun if Deslaurier could live in the rectory at St. John Bosco.  Deslaurier lived in the rectory for seven years. Lebrun described the last few years of the arrangement as difficult because there were young people around and/or phoning at all hours.

Seguin it turns out lived with Bishop Adolphe Proulx’ sister.

This would be the same Jeanine Seguin referenced by Andre Lavoie victim of paedophile Robert Sabourin.  In that instance Seguin is referenced as principal of St. Lawrence H.S.  I recall there is an issue regarding what the original school was called after either St. Lawrence or La Citadelle was built. It is however the same Seguin.

Seguin also supervised Nelson Barque as a substitute teacher for a month-and-a-half in 1971 after he left the seminary and was looking for employment.

(8) Seems no one but no one in the diocese, including Father Lebrun, were privy to the “rumours” that Bishop Proulx and Father Gilles Deslaurier had a sexual relationship.

Amazing that Lebrun was on and off the stand in one day!!!  No queries for him on who knew who and/or kept company with whom in Cornwall clerical circles.  Guess who rubbed shoulders with whom isn’t in the mandate unless it relates to Perry Dunlop.  As someone told me yesterday yet again, further proof the fix is in!

I have company coming today – will tape Msgr. Schonenbach and hope for the best 🙂

Enough for now,

Sylvia

(cornwall@theinquiry.ca)

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