ROME (AP) — A Vatican cardinal sued a Canadian girl for defamation in a Canadian court docket on Tuesday after she accused him of sexual assault whereas he was archbishop of Quebec.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, head of the Vatican’s bishops’ workplace, is in search of 100,000 Canadian {dollars} (US$74,000) in compensatory damages for “damage to his repute, honor and dignity,” based on a duplicate of the grievance offered by Ouellet’s workplace.
The girl, recognized solely as F., was one among a number of individuals who introduced a class-action lawsuit towards the archdiocese of Quebec in August that accused a number of clergymen, together with Ouellet, of sexual abuse or assault. F. accused Ouellet of inappropriate, sexual touches on 4 events within the late 2000s.
Ouellet’s countersuit, filed Tuesday within the Superior Court docket in Quebec, repeats the cardinal’s agency denial and says he has no recollection of assembly F.
His lawsuit stated that even when the allegations have been true, the girl’s particular claims about his alleged conduct couldn’t be construed as “sexual assault” or sexual abuse of minors, that are different crimes included within the class-action lawsuit.
“To affiliate Mr. Ouellet with such acts creates, within the thoughts of the atypical citizen, the notion that Mr. Ouellet is a person of the identical ilk, which he’s clearly not,” the cardinal’s lawsuit says.
It stated he had skilled “vital psychological anguish” because the girl’s allegations went public and that his worldwide repute was “significantly tarnished.”
Pope Francis shelved a church investigation into Ouellet after a priest investigator interviewed F. and decided there weren’t grounds for additional investigation. The Vatican stated the investigator decided the girl didn’t convey ahead accusations that warranted it.
Calls in search of remark from F.’s legal professional weren’t instantly returned.
In a press release, Ouellet stated victims of sexual abuse are entitled to justice and compensation and stated he was delicate to their struggling.
“Their proper to justice just isn’t questioned by my taking this stand, which is however painfully essential to defend the reality, my repute and my honor,” he stated.
He stated any damages awarded can be donated to the “combat towards sexual abuse of Indigenous peoples in Canada.”
___
Robert Gillies contributed from Toronto.
