The Archdiocese of Quebec, in Canada, will pay 31.5 million Canadian dollars as part of an out-of-court settlement to resolve a class-action lawsuit for sexual abuse committed by priests or laypeople in positions of authority from 1940 to the present. The agreement was ratified on August 12 by Judge Danye Daigle of the Superior Court of Quebec and also includes a formal apology from the Church to the victims.
The judicial approval now opens the phase of awarding compensation after several years of proceedings. Before the distribution of compensation begins, the law firm Dufresne Wee will make a final call for other individuals who meet the established conditions to join the process.
The Church of Quebec asks for forgiveness
In a statement published on August 14, the Archdiocese indicated that its leaders welcome the ratification of the agreement and acknowledged that the reparations phase now beginning may help those affected continue «their path toward peace and healing.»
Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of Quebec, Monsignor Jean Tailleur, had already publicly issued the apologies during the presentation of the agreement before the Superior Court on July 30.
«In the face of the suffering they carry, there is little my words can alleviate or heal,» Tailleur stated. «However, there is something that must be said. On behalf of the Catholic Church of Quebec, I would like to offer them our most sincere apologies.»
The agreement specifically includes the delivery of a letter of apology, in addition to the financial fund for those included in the lawsuit.
Abuses reported from 1940 to the present
The proceedings include sexual abuse attributed to priests and laypeople who held positions of authority within the diocese of Quebec during a period extending from 1940 to the present.
The class-action lawsuit was judicially authorized in 2022 and incorporated new accusations and complainants during its processing. Among the names that gained the most public attention are two former or current archbishops of Quebec: Cardinals Gérald Lacroix and Marc Ouellet.
In both cases, it is necessary to distinguish the accusations incorporated into the class-action lawsuit from the outcome of the procedures or investigations specifically conducted regarding them.
The case of Cardinal Gérald Lacroix
The name of Cardinal Gérald Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, appeared in an expansion of the class-action lawsuit made public in January 2024. A woman accused him of acts allegedly occurring between 1987 and 1988, when she was 17 years old.
The cardinal categorically denied the accusation and decided to temporarily step away from his public activities while the facts were clarified.
Read also: A Canadian cardinal accused of sexual assault
Francis then commissioned retired judge André Denis, a former member of the Superior Court of Quebec, to conduct a preliminary canonical investigation. The report was completed on May 6, 2024, and subsequently delivered to the Pontiff.
The Holy See communicated that, in light of the facts examined, the investigation had not identified any conduct that could be classified as misconduct or abuse on the part of Lacroix and that, consequently, opening a deeper canonical procedure was not contemplated.
Read also: The Pope closes the investigation against Cardinal Lacroix
Therefore, Lacroix’s inclusion in the class-action lawsuit should not be confused with a declaration of individual responsibility. The investigation specifically commissioned by Rome regarding the accusation made against him concluded without opening a canonical process.
Marc Ouellet also appeared in the lawsuit
Another name included in the proceedings was that of Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec from 2002 to 2010 and later Prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops.
In 2022, a woman accused Ouellet of sexual behavior allegedly occurring between 2008 and 2010, when she was performing pastoral work in the diocese.
The Holy See examined the complaint and announced that there were insufficient grounds to open a canonical investigation against the cardinal. Ouellet rejected the accusations and subsequently initiated legal action for defamation against his accuser.
The civil aspect of that confrontation went to trial in Quebec in March 2026. During the process, testimonies regarding other behaviors of the cardinal also emerged. Among them, Ouellet acknowledged having placed a 50-dollar bill in the neckline of a woman’s sweater during an encounter in 2014, a gesture he described as a «clumsy mistake» and denied any sexual intent.
The compensation process now begins
The ratification of the agreement does not in itself constitute a declaration of individual guilt regarding all the people who have been named throughout the proceedings. Instead, it establishes the mechanism through which the Archdiocese will collectively address the claims included in the agreement.
With Judge Daigle’s decision, the process of awarding compensation can now begin. Before that, a final opportunity will open for other individuals who believe they have suffered abuse within the established temporal and institutional scope to request their inclusion.
Once that stage is completed, the distribution of the 31.5 million Canadian dollars among the beneficiaries will begin according to the criteria established in the agreement.
The Archdiocese of Quebec thus faces the reparations phase of proceedings that span more than eight decades of sexual abuse complaints and have involved priests, laypeople in positions of authority, and members of the hierarchy. The judicial approval moves the litigation toward its conclusion, although the definitive inclusion of members and the awarding of compensation must still be completed.