By David Nesseth
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August 30, 2008
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Present day Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher took the stand at the Cornwall Public Inquiry Friday to explain his transition into a diocese wrought with scandal.
Durocher, who was coming from Sault Ste. Marie at the time in 2002, shared his thoughts on learning of the local child sex abuse allegations and how as the new Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall he dealt with established diocesan policies on the subject.
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"So what was your sense of the whole thing . . . ?" asked Inquiry Commissioner Normand Glaude about Durocher's perusal of a file by Father Gilles Deslauriers, who was convicted on 11 counts of gross indecency and other sexual misconduct in 1986.
"My first reaction was that I wanted to go punch this guy in the face," Durocher responded.
"I was disgusted. I was disgusted that this priest had abused his power that way to abuse young people. It felt terrible. And he's a priest and I'm a priest -- it made me ashamed."
Durocher then wiped his eyes with a tissue.
The 54-year-old bishop is now in his second stint in the witness box at the inquiry, which is probing how institutions like the church handled allegations of historical sexual abuse.
Durocher said he'd heard "echoes" of the events surrounding Deslauriers before he got the job with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, but didn't learn about other allegations, such as those involving Father Charles MacDonald, until after he'd arrived in Cornwall, at which time MacDonald's sex abuse charges were soon to be stayed.
Durocher had some connection with his predecessor, Bishop Eugene LaRocque, through federal and provincial bishop conferences. Durocher was an auxiliary bishop at the time.
Interestingly, LaRocque had previously worked at a parish in a suburb of Windsor where Durocher had lived in 1963.
"It was a surprise for me to discover that later on," said Durocher during questioning by inquiry commission counsel Pierre Dumais.
Some 50 protesters marched outside Durocher's Cornwall cathedral during his first day on the job in 2002.
Meetings with the protest group's leader were planned but never occurred, Durocher said.
There were three main problems Durocher said he wanted to address when he started in Cornwall: The history of child sex abuse allegations; a "splinter group" of priests who were eventually excommunicated; and the reorganization of the parishes in Cornwall.
Staffing and sustainability problems at local parishes resulted in Durocher closing three parishes in his first year as bishop.
Dumais laid out the history of the local diocesan policy on criminal matters involving priests.
The first document, created in March of 1987, was called Principles and Procedures for Clergy in Difficulty. It was replaced around 1996 with new protocol called Diocesan Guidelines in Sexual Abuse by Priests, Deacons, Seminarians and Pastoral Assistants.
"It has been my intention to review this protocol from the start, but we felt it was more important to start with the procedures dealing with allegations," Durocher testified, adding that once the inquiry began it became the diocese's intention to let it run its course and see what recommendations are made.
Durocher, however, did form a committee called Safeguarding against Abuse.
It had goals such as learning from the church's response to the allegations and training all sectors of the diocese about safeguards against abuse.
Durocher said there was an atmosphere of "high stress" among priests when he first started with the local diocese.
He said they felt painted with the same brush as priests facing abuse allegations.
The inquiry resumes with testimony from Durocher on Sept. 2 at 1 p. m.
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