Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet being sued by French nun: report

By News Staff

Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who announced his retirement this year amid accusations of sexual misconduct, is reportedly being sued in France.

French media outlet Le Monde says nun Marie Ferréol is taking legal action against Ouellet in connection with her dismissal from a religious community in Pontcallec in 2021 – the Dominicaines du Saint-Esprit.

Ferréol alleges she was let go without explanation after 34 years.

The 79-year-old Ouellet, a native of La Motte, Que., signed the decree for Ferréol’s final dismissal, according to Le Monde.

The lawsuit claims Ouellet is being sued “for the faults he committed and the material and moral damages she suffered.” Also named in the lawsuit are abbot Jean-Charles Nault and abbess Emmanuelle Desjobert.

Ferréol is also reportedly suing the union association of the Dominicaines du Saint-Esprit. The hearing is scheduled for Oct. 4.


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Earlier this year Ouellet announced he would retire in April after being dogged by sexual misconduct allegations for several months.

The first allegation surfaced last summer in a class-action lawsuit against the archdiocese of Quebec, in which a woman accused Ouellet of several incidents of sexual misconduct between 2008 and 2010. Ouellet countersued the woman for defamation in Quebec Superior Court, seeking $100,000 in damages.

The Roman Catholic archdiocese of Quebec City confirmed it had received a second complaint of sexual misconduct against Ouellet in 2020.
Ouellet served as archbishop of Quebec between 2002 and 2010 before he was promoted to the high-profile Vatican post and a spot in Pope Benedict’s inner circle. His name had also been floated as a possible choice for pope during previous papal conclaves.

—With files from The Canadian Press

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