QUéBEC CITY (CANADA)
Infovaticana [Madrid, España]
October 10, 2026
By Infovaticana
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Bishops, has spoken publicly about the consequences of the sexual assault allegations made against him in 2022, after a Canadian court declared them unfounded and convicted his accuser of defamation. The cardinal described the four years since the case began as a “nightmare” that affected his health, his reputation, and his moral authority.
In an interview given to Rome Reports, published on October 7, Ouellet referred to the ruling issued on August 31 by the Superior Court of Quebec, which ruled in the cardinal’s favor in the defamation lawsuit filed against pastoral agent Pamela Groleau.
“When I think about the whole matter, from beginning to end, it lasted four years. It has been like a nightmare, a very difficult and costly experience, because I had to hire lawyers to defend myself, and this affected my reputation, my moral authority, my health, and many other things,” he explained.
The ruling, signed by Judge Martin Castonguay, concluded that Groleau’s accusations were unfounded and that the accuser had altered her account of the facts with a recklessness the magistrate considered equivalent to malice. The court ordered her to pay 100,000 Canadian dollars in damages.
“I felt under a cloud of suspicion”
The accusations against Ouellet became public in August 2022, when his name appeared in a class-action lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec for alleged abuses committed over several decades.
The cardinal denied the facts attributed to him from the outset. In December of that year, he decided to take legal action against his accuser, considering that the allegations had seriously harmed his honor and his ministry.
In the interview, Ouellet explained that he initially waited several months before filing the lawsuit. However, upon seeing his name publicly linked to other cases of sexual abuse against minors, he decided to go to court.
“I realized that my case was being included alongside those of pedophilia. I said to myself: this is unbearable, I cannot tolerate it,” he recalled.
The cardinal also described the consequences the accusations had on his public activity. According to him, some invitations were canceled and others were subject to reservations due to the controversy surrounding his name.
“I think today, with all the cases that have become public, there is rather a presumption of guilt, and that is why I felt under that cloud of suspicion and doubt,” he stated.
A ruling that declared the accusations unfounded
The Quebec Superior Court ruling, 52 pages long, examined the facts reported by Groleau and the different versions she presented throughout the proceedings.
Judge Castonguay concluded that the accusations lacked foundation and that the cardinal had been the victim of defamatory statements. The ruling also found that the accuser’s conduct had caused significant harm to his reputation.
As reported after the judicial ruling became known, the magistrate questioned the credibility of Groleau’s testimony, especially regarding the changes introduced in her account of the alleged physical contact attributed to the then-archbishop of Quebec.
The judicial decision came after the civil trial held in March 2026. According to Rome Reports, the legal deadline to appeal the ruling has already expired.
Ouellet acknowledged that, despite the favorable ruling, the personal consequences of the accusations do not automatically disappear.
“I fear that the damage cannot really be repaired,” he noted, referring to the impact the proceedings had on the final years of his ecclesiastical career.
He will donate the 100,000 dollars to victims of abuse in Indigenous communities
The cardinal has decided to donate the entire compensation to organizations that assist victims of sexual abuse in Indigenous communities in Canada.
The decision had already been announced after the ruling became known and has been reiterated by the cardinal in his interview.
Ouellet explained that, when considering his own experience, he also thinks of those who have suffered sexual abuse and had to wait decades to report it.
“My case is small compared to this suffering,” he stated.
The cardinal recalled that judicial recognition and financial compensation do not necessarily eliminate the consequences of the abuse suffered by victims.
The donation is linked to organizations working with Indigenous communities in Canada, whose situation was addressed by Pope Francis during his apostolic journey to the country in July 2022.
Ouellet reaffirms his commitment against abuse
During the interview, the prefect emeritus of the Dicastery for Bishops also reviewed his work in preventing abuse within the Church.
He explained that he began addressing this issue in 1990, following the abuse case at the Mount Cashel residential school in the Canadian province of Newfoundland.
Later, during his episcopal responsibilities and as head of the Vatican body in charge of bishop appointments, he said he had intervened in situations related to complaints and inappropriate behavior.
Ouellet acknowledged that the accusations against him particularly affected the credibility of that trajectory.
“It is as if the pastoral work I have done has lost its credibility,” he explained.
Nevertheless, he insisted that his personal experience does not change the need to continue fighting abuse within the Church.
“We must continue the fight unequivocally and without rest,” he stated.
The statements come more than a month after the ruling in the cardinal’s favor in the civil defamation proceedings. Ouellet, who had remained silent about the personal consequences of the case, has now chosen to explain the scope of what happened and reiterate his commitment to victims of abuse.
Read also
- Cardinal Ouellet wins defamation lawsuit against the woman who accused him of sexual assault
- Cardinal Ouellet sues the woman who accused him of committing abuse