Cardinal Marc Ouellet denies allegations of sexual misconduct made against him in a 2020 complaint by a second woman who accused him of wrongdoing against her.
A Vatican investigation was conducted in the wake of the second complaint against the former Quebec archbishop, but Pope Francis decided "not to retain the accusation made," as he found "no reason to take the incrimination against Cardinal Ouellet into further consideration."
In a written statement to the media on Saturday, Cardinal Ouellet confirmed that he has participated in the Vatican investigation, maintaining that he has "nothing to hide" and has acted "transparently" in the process.
According to reports, the complaint was eventually dismissed, "in part because the complainant chose not to meet with those responsible for the investigation after she filed her complaint."
The cardinal "denies having committed any reprehensible behaviour towards this woman" and said that no civil or criminal complaint had been filed against him.
The existence of this second complaint was revealed this week by the French Catholic weekly Golias Hebdo, which obtained a copy of a letter dated June 23, 2021 in which the current Archbishop of Quebec, Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, informed the complainant that her allegations would not be pursued.
Golias Hebdo did not reveal the name of the woman concerned.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 21, 2023.
