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	Priest Accused of Sex Abuse Denies Charges By Carol Mulligan North Bay Nugget November 6, 2010 http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2834331 A Roman Catholic priest facing nine counts of historic sexual abuse says he is innocent of all charges and that will be proven in court. Rev. Jean-Claude Lefebvre, 75, says he is not afraid to face his accusers -- both of whom are male -- on charges that relate to abuse alleged to have occurred 30-32 years ago in one instance and about 12 years ago in the other. None of the charges have been proven in court. All charges relate to incidents alleged to have occurred before Lefebvre was ordained to the priesthood in 2001. Lefebvre did not enter the seminary until after his wife died in the early 1990s. Before entering the priesthood, he had a 30-year career as an Inco miner and worked for a newspaper for five years. Lefebvre told QMI on Thursday he was not angry about the story outlining the charges against him. But the story was upsetting to his family. The soft-spoken Lefebvre has five children and several grandchildren. He said there is another side to the story and it will come out in court. He or his lawyer are scheduled to appear in Sudbury Court on Dec. 7 to set dates for a preliminary inquiry into the charges. Lefebvre said he was sad to be relieved of his duties at four small parishes with a combined congregation of 5,000 members in Cache Bay, Field, Crystal Falls and River Valley. I don't cry because I'm 75 and I know it's time to retire," he said. He said parishioners often told him they enjoyed his preachings because he had experienced family life before becoming their priest. When asked if he was receiving support from the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie or its bishop, Jean-Louis Plouffe, Lefebvre replied: Not at all." When asked how he felt about that, he said: Very bad." He did receive severance from the diocese, he said. Lefebvre said he has incurred thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend himself against the charges. He is charged with two counts of sexual assault, two counts of sexual interference, two counts of sexual exploitation, two counts of invitation to sexual touching and one count of indecent assault on a male. A phone call to Bishop Plouffe's office this week was not returned.
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