Jesuits of Canada members with ties to Quebec 'credibly accused' of sexual abuse of minors

More than a dozen priests with ties to Quebec have been named in a list of members of the Jesuits of Canada who have been "credibly accused" of sexual abuse of minors.

Of the 27 priests identified by the religious order on Monday, 16 have had pastoral assignments in the Montreal area and other parts of Quebec over the past 70 years. The Loyola High School in Montreal was mentioned several times in the list.

Michael Murray, the school's former president from 2010 to 2015, is named on the list. He died died in 2020.

“Had Loyola High School been made aware of this allegation of misconduct prior to his appointment, his mission to Loyola would have been refused by the school. The Jesuits advised school leadership they were unaware of the allegation at the time of the appointment,” said the school in a statement to CTV News.

"School leadership reached out to the Jesuits of Canada to ascertain the details of Fr. Murray’s case. In order to respect the confidentiality and privacy of all parties, specific details were not shared other than to state that his case involved one individual with whom he had a long-term relationship decades ago in another province. There were no subsequent reports of misconduct or inappropriate behavior in the years to follow, including while he was missionned at Loyola at the end of his career."

Another person named on the list worked at Concordia University and is still alive. His status within the order is listed as restricted ministry and he must comply with a safety plan, including travel restrictions and supervision.

"We have been disturbed and sad to see a name associated with us on the list. We are grateful to the Jesuits of Canada for releasing this list and hope it can help survivors and contribute to healing," Concordia said in a statement.

Th Jesuits, a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, released the list following an audit that started in 2020 and was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement posted on the order's website on Monday said the vast majority of cases were only brought to light after the alleged abuser died and that some never made it to the criminal or civil prosecution stage.

"We cannot rewrite the past. We do wish to contribute to reconciliation, to right past wrongs and to rebuild trust. The undertaking of our audit and the decision to publish the names of those credibly accused express our commitment to transparency and accountability," read a statement from Rev. Erik Oland on the website.

The Advocates for Clergy Trauma Survivors in Canada (ACTS) said it was pleased to see the detailed list from the religious order.

"It shows that the scope of the problem is bigger and it’s important that survivors can use these lists as a way of knowing they are not alone," said the group's co-founder, Gemma Hickey, in an interview with CTV News. 

But abuse survivor Sebastien Richard said the list is an opportunistic move by the Jesuits because all but three priests are now deceased.

"It’s so obvious, for me, that they don’t want to have any of their members being put in jail," Richard told CTV News on Tuesday.

Rev. Oland says despite the exhaustive review, other names may be added to the list in the future.

With files from The Canadian Press