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	Priest Paying for His Own Lawyer: Bishop By Bob Vaillancourt Sudbury Star May 6, 2008 http://www.thesudburystar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1015026 A preliminary hearing is underway at the Sudbury courthouse this week into allegations a Roman Catholic priest sexually assaulted several young boys over a decade-long period at various parishes in Northern Ontario. It is alleged the incidents involving Father Bernard Cloutier began in 1974 and continued until April 1983. A preliminary hearing is held to determine if there is sufficient evidence to put Cloutier on trial on the charges. The hearing is expected to last all week. Cloutier, 66, is being represented by North Bay lawyer Gregory Ellies, who has asked the court to ban the publication of evidence given at the hearing. Some of the charges Cloutier is facing were laid last June. The others were laid in February. Dressed in a grey suit and wine-coloured, open-necked shirt, Cloutier pleaded not guilty to the 22 charges he is facing. He was a parish priest at Saint-Agnes Church in North Bay when the initial charges were laid. As a result of those allegations, he was relieved of his duties. He is said to be living with family in North Bay. Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe, the spiritual head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, said Cloutier, like other priests facing or convicted of charges of sexual misconduct in the diocese, is only allowed to say mass privately. Plouffe said Cloutier would pay for his own defence lawyer. Contact: bvaillancourt@thesudburystar.com
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