Quebec Cardinal raised in Manchester on leave amid allegations of sexual assault
Mar. 12—The archbishop of Quebec City and the first Roman Catholic cardinal from New Hampshire has taken temporary leave from his duties after sexual assault allegations against him surfaced as part of a lawsuit.
The Catholic Church of Quebec announced recently Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, who spent his formative years in Manchester, has withdrawn from his duties until the situation is resolved.
Cardinal Lacroix, 66, has categorically denied the abuse accusations. He is a 1975 graduate of Trinity High School and studied at Saint Anselm College. He was elevated to cardinal during a consistory in 2014.
Lacroix is named in court documents filed in late January as part of a class-action lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec. The lawsuit was authorized to proceed in June 2022.
The allegations refer to incidents that allegedly occurred between 1987 and 1988 in Quebec City, when the alleged victim was 17 years old. Lacroix has been accused of touching her without her consent, according to court documents.
In a video message posted online, Lacroix strongly denies the allegations made against him.
"Never, to my knowledge, have I made any inappropriate actions towards anyone, whether minors or adults," Lacroix said in the video. "My soul and my conscience are at peace in the face of these accusations which I refute. I undertake to respect the legal process of the current collective action."
Cardinal Lacroix announced he was temporarily withdrawing from his duties on Jan. 26.
"This is not a resignation, but a temporary withdrawal to allow us to better evaluate the next steps to take and consider the decisions to be made," Lacroix said in the video. "Let us hold together in our prayer all the people who have suffered from sexual abuse in a Church context and still suffer from the consequences of these traumas. I hear their anger, it inhabits me and pushes me to do everything to promote their path towards inner peace.
"Let us be determined to take care of each other, be vigilant and ensure that no situation of abuse occurs again."
In a statement, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec said it understands Lacroix's decision to step away, which it "welcomes with sadness."
"The diocesan authorities will continue to move forward in the process of collective action, with respect for the truth and with the aim of offering reparation to survivors of sexual abuse," the Archdiocese said in a statement.
Investigation launched
Diocese officials said Pope Francis has directed André Denis, a retired judge of the Superior Court of Quebec, to conduct an investigation into the allegations, in accordance with church provisions for handling allegations against a bishop, archbishop or cardinal.
Negotiations among the parties in the lawsuit have not produced an agreement. In his video statement, Lacroix said attorneys with Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats, the law firm representing the plaintiffs, ended the talks.
The son of a lumberjack, Lacroix was born in Quebec but moved with his family to Manchester when he was 8.
During his senior year at Trinity, Lacroix became a member of the Pius X Secular Institute. After a year of studies at Saint Anselm College, Lacroix moved back to Quebec. He worked in a print shop as a graphic designer and later in a bookstore and as an editor.
In 1981, he took a leave of absence to do missionary work in Colombia, where he worked in a health clinic for the poor.
Lacroix returned to Quebec to study for the priesthood and was ordained in 1988. Two years later, he returned to South America, serving as a missionary and parish priest and teaching in a seminary. He also had a radio program and did some work in television.
Lacroix was appointed as auxiliary bishop of Quebec in 2009. In 2011, he was appointed Archbishop of Quebec by Pope Benedict.
He was the speaker at the Saint Anselm commencement exercises in 2011 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of divinity degree.
Lacroix grew up as a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua in Manchester and attended the parish grammar school, graduating in 1970.
The Cardinal Lacroix Academy on Belmont Street in Manchester, established in 2018 following the unification of St. Anthony of Padua and St. Casimir schools, is named in Lacroix's honor. The school occupies the building that once housed St. Anthony of Padua School.
Lacroix has maintained a close relationship with Trinity High School and spoke at an anniversary banquet in 2011.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Manchester said they have no comment on the allegations.
