The Archdiocese of Montreal released today the sixth report compiled by Ombudsman Me. Marie Christine Kirouack, Ad.E.

The report is an analysis of new complaints received since her previous report as well as, cumulatively, all the complaints received since she was appointed, i.e., from May 5, 2021 to June 10, 2023.

The following is a breakdown of the 212 complaints received since the beginning of her mandate:

“- 76 complaints of abuse that were submitted to the Advisory Committee for recommendations to Archbishop Christian Lépine, 45 of which concern sexual abuse;
- Eighty-three (83) complaints to the Vicars General which do not target members of the clergy, but are rather in connection with the holding of cemeteries, funerals, the requirement of a vaccination passport, genealogical research, requests for apostasy or relations of work, and;
- Fifty-three (53) complaints to the Director of the OPP mainly concerning problems between employees and members of the clergy or between the Church Council and a member of the clergy were sent to the Office of Pastoral Personnel (OPP).”¹

The Archdiocese of Montreal also gave her the mandate to deal with any previous complaint or abuse file that had not been satisfactorily dealt with in the past, following the filing in the spring of the external audit carried out by the Honourable André Denis, retired judge.

Of the 67 people targeted by complaints of abuse submitted to the Advisory Committee, 62 were religious, i.e., 36 members of religious communities, who are not subject to the authority of the Archbishop but to their Congregation, and 26 members of the clergy. Complaints were also made against six lay people working in religious communities.

In her report, the Ombudsman notes progress in the timeliness of the complaint handling process: “The suspensions that have been recommended in recent months have been carried out is reasonably short delays.”

The Ombudsman concludes by inviting anyone who wishes to communicate with her to do so confidentially: “I assure in advance all those who wish to contact me of my empathy and understanding of what they have experienced or are still experiencing and of my unwavering support through the complaint process.”

For his part, the Archbishop of Montreal Christian Lépine, underlines the progress made since the beginning of the Ombudsman’s mandate, a little more than two years ago: "Our objective in mandating the Ombudsman was to put all the means in place to continue freeing the voices of victims and to allow them to obtain the support they need in their difficult healing process. The work done over the past two years is an effort to seek truth and justice, to continue to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. »

The handling of complaints of abuse by the Catholic Church of Montreal

Following the Capriolo Report made public on November 25, 2020, the Catholic Church of Montreal made a commitment to implement all its recommendations.

The result is a victim-centered complaints process, where all forms of abuse and inappropriate behaviour are included and where the age of the victim is no longer determinative.

The presence of an Ombudsman, the creation of a Lay Advisory Committee of five members, including a survivor, and investigations by external experts, allow each complaint to be handled with diligence and respect.

The full Report is available to the public on the website of the Catholic Church of Montreal.

To request an interview, please communicate with the Ombudsman:
by telephone: (514) 752-4683
by email: plainte@ombudsman-ecm.com
on the website: www.ombudsman-ecm.com

¹ link to the report on the Diocesan website, page 4.