A Montreal judge has ruled that the allegations of sexual misconduct against Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet are unfounded and has ordered his accuser to pay him $100,000.
The cardinal, who had been retired since April 2024, had been under suspicion ever since Paméla Groleau accused him of touching her without her consent on three occasions between 2008 and 2010, while she was training or working as a lay pastoral agent. She also testified in court that she felt «harassed» at another event, stating that Cardinal Ouellet approached her from across the room to sit next to her.
The judge ruled that the accusations were false
«The court finds that the allegations describing the four incidents cited by Ms. Groleau in the context of the class-action lawsuit are false,» wrote Superior Court Judge Martin Castonguay in a decision published on August 31.
Castonguay concluded that Groleau's testimony against Cardinal Ouellet, now in his eighties, «was neither credible nor reliable,» noting in his ruling that she had changed her account several times.
Two other women testified against Cardinal Ouellet during the trial, but the judge ruled that their testimony was not relevant to determining whether Groleau had defamed the cardinal. He also concluded that Cardinal Ouellet «was not the author of the gestures» presented as evidence by one of the women.
The allegations against the cardinal surfaced in 2022 as part of a class-action lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Quebec and dozens of clergy and laypeople. In response, Cardinal Ouellet publicly denied any wrongdoing and filed a $100,000 (US$72,230) counterclaim for defamation against his accuser, alleging that she had damaged his reputation, honor, and dignity.
The Vatican ruled out opening an investigation
After the complaint was filed, the Vatican chose not to launch its own investigation against the cardinal. In a statement issued on August 18, 2022, by Matteo Bruni, then director of the Holy See Press Office, the Vatican concluded that there was «insufficient evidence to open a canonical investigation into sexual assault by Cardinal Ouellet against Person F,» as Groleau was identified at the time.
In his opinion, Castonguay stated that the harm suffered by Cardinal Ouellet—the former archbishop of Quebec who would serve as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under the pontificates of Benedict XVI and Francis—and to his reputation was «amplified by the chosen vehicle, namely, a class-action lawsuit directed primarily against religious pedophiles, thereby equating Cardinal Ouellet, in the eyes of the ‘ordinary citizen,’ with that group of individuals.».
He said that «it is difficult to quantify» the true impact of the allegations against Cardinal Ouellet and granted him the $100,000 he had requested.
A class-action lawsuit for 31.5 million
The class-action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec was certified on August 12, when the Superior Court of Quebec approved an out-of-court settlement of $31.5 million (US$22.66 million) for individuals who claim to have been victims of sexual abuse by members of the church since 1940.
In a statement regarding the ruling in favor of their client, Cardinal Ouellet's attorneys expressed their satisfaction that the court recognized the injustice suffered by the cardinal.
«This ruling reaffirms a fundamental principle: even in the context of legal proceedings, serious allegations must be based on specific and relevant facts and presented with the rigor required by their gravity,» Dominique Ménard stated in the press release.
Ouellet will donate the severance pay
The cardinal has promised to donate the compensation he was awarded to organizations that fight against sexual abuse suffered by Indigenous Canadians.
The class-action lawsuit also accused the current archbishop of Quebec, Cardinal Gérald Lacroix, of sexual misconduct. After stepping aside from his post for six months in early 2024, Cardinal Lacroix resumed his duties after a Vatican-ordered investigation found no evidence to support the allegations.
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