Father Ronald Leger Defrocked after Sex Assault Plea

CBC News
July 16, 2015

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/father-ronald-l%C3%A9ger-defrocked-after-sex-assault-plea-1.3155569

Rev. Ronald Leger, who used to lead Holy Family Parish and founded Teen Stop Jeunesse, will be sentenced early next week and his name added to the national sex offender registry (CBC)

A former Winnipeg priest has been formally defrocked from the Catholic Church after he pleaded guilty to sex assault earlier this week.

Ronald Leger, the former head of Holy Family Parish and founder of Teen Stop Jeunesse, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference on July 13.

On Thursday, the Archdiocese of St. Boniface stripped Ronald Leger of his rights to represent the ministry.

"You are definitively no longer authorized to exercise a public ministry in our Archdiocese of Saint Boniface," Albert LeGatt, the Archbishop of St. Boniface, said in a release.

The charges brought against the 77-year-old relate back to a series of incidents that occurred between 1984 and 2004. The interference charge was leveled against Leger because one of the victims was under the age of 16.

Leger is expected to be sentenced early next week. His name will be added to the national sex offender registry.

Leger was arrested earlier in 2014 after three males between the ages of nine and 18 came forward. Two were attacked in the 1980s, while the third occurred between 2002 and 2004.

He remains free on bail.

The Archdiocese is holding a meeting Monday evening at the Holy Family Parish to answer questions about the case.