Quebec court clears Cardinal Ouellet of sexual abuse allegations
The Superior Court of Quebec ruled that Cardinal Marc Ouellet was the victim of "slander and defamation" and ordered his accuser to pay him 100,000 Canadian dollars
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the former archbishop of Quebec and a senior official of the Roman Curia, has been cleared of allegations of unwanted touching between 2008 and 2010 made against him by pastoral worker Paméla Groleau. The Superior Court of Quebec, in Canada, issued its ruling in December after Ouellet sued for defamation in response to the allegations, which surfaced in 2022 during a class action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec.
The ruling states that the cardinal was the victim of "slander and defamation" and that he was "falsely accused" of sexual violence. Groleau must pay Ouellet 100,000 Canadian dollars for the damage to his reputation. Ouellet has said he intends to give the money to organizations working against abuse suffered by indigenous people in Canada.
Where the allegations came from
The allegations against Ouellet became public in August 2022, while the class action against the Archdiocese of Quebec was already under way. From the start of the case, Ouellet maintained his innocence and strongly denied the allegations.
In December 2022 he filed a defamation suit to clear his name and restore his reputation. The lawsuit led to the ruling that now clears him completely of the allegations.
A career in the Church
Ouellet was considered a candidate for the papacy at the 2013 conclave. He served as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops from 2010 until 2023. He was succeeded in that post by Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV.
