Archdiocese of Montreal’s Ombudsperson: more optimistic tone in 6th report
Posted June 20, 2023 9:35 am.
Last Updated June 20, 2023 1:12 pm.
MONTREAL – On Tuesday, the Archdiocese of Montreal made public the sixth report submitted eight days earlier by its Ombudsperson, Marie Christine Kirouack, whose general tone is more optimistic than it was six months ago.
This sixth report, which notably analyzes new complaints of sexual misconduct, also looks cumulatively at all 212 complaints received since she was mandated on May 5, 2021.
The previous report, unveiled last December, deplored mismanagement and delays that had become interminable in the handling of certain files, causing complainants to lose confidence in the process. In her fifth report, Kirouack also pointed to serious breaches of confidentiality and loyalty in the handling of complaints.
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The Archdiocese’s problems had also led to the resignation on December 7 of retired Quebec Superior Court judge Pepita Capriolo, who had been hired in 2019 by the Archdiocese to investigate the organization’s handling of cases involving abusive priests.
In her sixth report, the Ombudsperson notes progress in the speed of the complaints process. She writes that the suspensions that have been recommended in recent months have been carried out within a short space of time.
Kirouack adds that it is not easy to integrate major changes into an institution that has known its own way of doing things for many decades. She believes that a well-functioning Ombudsman system would enable many Catholics to regain confidence in their institution, and for those who have abandoned their church, to return to it.
In a press release issued Tuesday, Montréal Archbishop Christian Lépine underscored the progress made since the Ombudsperson’s mandate began just over two years ago. He reiterated that, following ex-judge Capriolo’s report made public on November 25, 2020, the Catholic Church in Montréal is committed to implementing all of his recommendations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 20, 2023.
