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	LaRocque Set to Take the Stand Today Standard-Freeholder July 30, 2008 http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1135672 (Staff) -- The man who helmed the local Roman Catholic diocese when a number of sexual abuse complaints were leveled against local priests is expected to appear at the Cornwall Public Inquiry today. From 1975 until 2002, Eugene LaRocque, now 81, was the bishop of the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese. In 1993, LaRocque agreed to an out-of-court settlement with David Silmser, who had alleged he was sexually abused when he was an altar boy in the 1960s and 1970s. The payout, worth $32,000, was divided between the diocese and the accused priest, Rev. Charles MacDonald. It contained an illegal clause that prohibited Silmser from pursuing criminal charges against MacDonald. LaRocque's role in that settlement has come under scrutiny at the inquiry, which is probing how institutions reacted when faced with allegations of historical sexual abuse. Multiple witnesses have said that LaRocque "reluctantly" agreed to the deal. Jacques Leduc, the diocese's former lawyer, testified he had to use strong language to convince LaRocque the settlement was the best thing for MacDonald's reputation. However, it appears no one with the diocese knew that MacDonald's lawyer, Malcolm MacDonald, had inserted the illegal clause into the final settlement documents. On Jan. 24, 1994, LaRocque was forced to publicly retract statements he'd made nine days earlier that the deal wasn't keeping Silmser from co-operating with police. "It brings out the human side of the church. We all make mistakes," LaRocque told the Standard-Freeholder at the time.
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