![Suzanne Tremblay, the [Harvey survivor and] spokesperson for the Association des jeunes victimes de l’Église, which represented the defrocked priest's victims, said she hopes the agreement will finally allow the victims to find peace. (Claude Bouchard / Radio-Canada).](https://www.bishop-accountability.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/c-2022-03-11-CBC-Chicoutimi-Diocese-ph-Suzanne-Tremblay.jpg)
SAGUENAY (CANADA)
CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) [Toronto, Canada]
March 11, 2022
{Photo above: Suzanne Tremblay, the [Harvey survivor and] spokesperson for the Association des jeunes victimes de l’Église, which represented the defrocked priest’s victims, said she hopes the agreement will finally allow the victims to find peace. (Claude Bouchard / Radio-Canada). See also Harvey’s confession (in French) and an English translation of selections.}
Harvey died in prison in 2018, 3 years after pleading guilty to 39 charges of sexual assault, gross indecency
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Chicoutimi has agreed to a $13.7-million settlement in the class-action lawsuit launched by some 120 victims of the defrocked priest Paul-André Harvey.
The agreement in principle between the Association des jeunes victimes de l’Église, the diocese and the parishes in which Harvey committed his crimes was filed Wednesday with the Quebec Superior Court in Saguenay, Que., 200 kilometres north of the province’s capital.
The defrocked priest died in prison in Laval, Que., in May 2018, three years after pleading guilty to 39 counts of sexual assault and gross indecency for acts committed between 1963 and 1983. His victims were all girls, most between the ages of eight and 10.
The class-action suit contended the Chicoutimi diocese was liable for the acts the priest committed and for neglecting to protect the former priest’s victims despite being aware of the abuse.
The agreement in principle requires Chicoutimi Bishop René Guay to publicly apologize for Harvey’s crimes, however, neither the diocese nor the bishop will have to pay compensation, as their insurer will cover the costs.
The agreement in principle will be analyzed further before getting final approval from Quebec Superior Court, set for April 27.
Restorative measures
“It is a huge relief for the victims, to whom I want to express my deepest sympathy after all these years of suffering,” Guay said in a virtual news conference.
“I really want them to know that my heart is with them, hoping that this agreement is really an important step in healing the serious wounds that have been inflicted on them.”
Guay apologized Monday, in a statement read in court by lawyer Estelle Tremblay, who said “in time, another opportunity for a very formal apology will present itself.”
The bishop maintains the Church has learned from what happened, and he committed to putting in place exemplary restorative measures.
“We are in the process of dioceses are concerned, but here we want to go even further to give confidence to the population and ensure that such a situation can’t happen again.”
Victims turn the page
The victims came from nine different parishes throughout the diocese.
Church records show that between 1963 and 2002, Harvey was moved to a new parish 12 times. All the moves were approved by the bishop of the day, Marius Paré.
“Whenever he would receive another complaint, he would reassign me to another parish, thinking that it would resolve my emotional problems,” Harvey wrote in a confession not long before he died.
“It was to no avail. After a few days, I would reoffend.”
Harvey gave a prison lawyer permission to provide his written confession to his victims, led in their legal fight against the diocese by Suzanne Tremblay, who had been assaulted by Harvey when she was seven years old, in 1965.
“I woke up feeling lighter this morning,” said Tremblay after the agreement in principle was reached.
In a message posted on Facebook, she also congratulated those who helped make the agreement a reality.
“When I look back, I see the little girls we were, and I can only be proud of the path we’ve taken,” she said. “Despite all their suffering and hardship, we have become women who help make a difference.”
She hopes this outcome will finally allow the victims to find peace, even if the amount obtained is lower than the $25 million they initially sought, she said.
“We have been saying to ourselves for a long time: ‘Is there an amount that can repair what we have experienced?'” Tremblay said. “There will never be one.”