The alleged victim of Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, who accused the prelate of sexual abuse in a class-action lawsuit against the Diocese of Quebec, refused to cooperate with the preliminary inquiry commissioned by Pope Francis. Canadian judge André Denis revealed this fact at a press conference at the conclusion of his investigation on May 21, 2024.
A few hours after the Holy See’s communiqué informing of the Pope’s decision not to initiate a canonical trial against the Archbishop of Quebec, the magistrate explained that he had found no evidence of guilt against him. However, he acknowledged that his investigation was inconclusive, due to a lack of contact with the complainant.
The investigation
On February 8, Pope Francis asked André Denis, a retired Quebec Superior Court judge, to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations made against Cardinal Lacroix in an anonymous complaint. In his words, Judge Denis, who has already led investigations into allegations of sexual abuse in the archives of nine Canadian dioceses, undertook a “patient and impartial search for the truth” in the Cardinal Lacroix case.
In the course of his investigation, he said, he had the “complete cooperation” of the 66-year-old prelate, the religious institute of which he was a member (the Pius X Secular Institute), and the Diocese of Quebec, which gave him access to all their archives.
The plaintiff, on the other hand, refused to take part in the investigation, despite repeated requests, he attested. His attempts having failed, the judge made his mandate public in order to obtain more extensive information, without further success.
In his investigation, he had to content himself with a single line — number 135 — in the list of plaintiffs in the class action revealed in January 2024. According to this “minimalist” denunciation, the event “occurred during a seminar or meeting on the Bible where the plaintiff, then aged 17, accompanied her parents. The alleged acts took place in 1987-1988.”
From the archives he consulted and witnesses he heard, Denis was unable to identify any element related to this accusation. “I turned over every stone,” he told reporters. And he added: “One leading to another … I didn’t find anything.”
The cardinal’s “credible” testimony
In the course of his research, André Denis spoke to Cardinal Lacroix. The 66-year-old prelate, who has temporarily withdrawn from his diocese in order to respect the judicial process, has always “categorically” denied the accusations. The magistrate described the Quebec archbishop as “a broken pastor” who was forced to give up a high-profile status — he has the title of “Primate of Canada” — to “fight a ghost.”
“I questioned him at length … He told me with conviction that he had never done what the [plaintiff] accused him of doing. Neither with her nor with any other person. Not in 1987-1988, nor ever before or since. He could never have lived with such a secret, nor accepted the position he now occupies with such a weight on his conscience,” declared André Denis.
At the time, Cyprien Lacroix was still a parish “trainee.” The judge observed that such an assignment “doesn’t fit” with the allegations against him. He also noted that Cardinal Lacroix’s testimony was “calm, spontaneous, and credible.” In the investigator’s judgment, “his record is beyond reproach.”
“I cannot link Cardinal Lacroix to the [plaintiff’s] accusation.” This is the conclusion Judge Denis delivered to Pope Francis. He did, however, express the reservation that “seriously” affects the investigation: being unable to meet the complainant. Such a refusal leaves him “helpless” and “unable to say whether or not the act of which he is accused took place,” he admitted.
“It’s never too late”
“In the light of the facts examined by the judge, the report does not permit to identify any actions that amount to misconduct or abuse on the part of Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix. Consequently, no further canonical procedure is foreseen,” announced the Holy See Press Office following the judge’s conclusions.
According to Judge Denis, a canonical procedure would have been just as futile, as it “would have stopped after eight minutes” for lack of a plaintiff.
The judge did not want to comment on Cardinal Lacroix’s reinstatement. “I stick to the facts, […] I have no opinion,” he said, stressing that “whatever the cardinal does [afterwards], it will be on his soul and conscience.”
Moreover, he reminded journalists, “an anonymous denunciation is still present, the outcome of which is uncertain.” Lastly, the judge added, “it’s never too late.” If the plaintiff were willing to testify tomorrow, André Denis said he would ask the Pope for “an additional mandate.”
And today we celebrate...