OTTAWA (CANADA)
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)
January 30, 2024
By Maribel Mayorga, Director of Communications, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
Bishop William T. McGrattan, Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, has issued the following statement regarding the recent allegations of sexual assault concerning His Eminence Gérald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec.
Bishop McGrattan’s full statement follows:
“On 25 January 2024, it was reported in the news that Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix’s name has recently been added to a list of clergy and pastoral workers who have been accused of sexual abuse in a class action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec. He has issued a statement and he has communicated his decision to withdraw temporarily from activities in his Diocese.
Within the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has established a clear procedure that must be followed when an allegation is made against a Bishop, as outlined in Vos Estis Lux Mundi. The Bishops of Canada have set up a third-party reporting system for Sexual Abuse or Cover-up by a Catholic Bishop.
And the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2018 published Guidelines to help dioceses develop their own policies and protocols to prevent sexual abuse and to support victims-survivors.
Any allegation of sexual abuse or misconduct attributed to a member of the clergy, religious order, or pastoral agent should be looked upon as an urgent matter that requires serious attention, while at the same time praying for victims-survivors and all those concerned, as well as for a just process to unfold.”