A church committee that investigated sexual abuse complaints involving a city priest in the mid-1980s didn’t recommend turning over those allegations to police, the Cornwall Public Inquiry heard yesterday.
Former diocesan lawyer Jacques Leduc said the decision not to tell either the Cornwall Police Service or the Children’s Aid Society about the accusations against Rev. Gilles Deslauriers was based largely on the fact the victims were adults when they came forward.
“I am fairly certain that that is the reason why,” said Leduc, 57.
Leduc, who began testifying at the inquiry Monday, was one of three people the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese appointed in early 1986 to look into claims Deslauriers was abusing young men.
Deslauriers would plead guilty that November to four counts of gross indecency. He was sentenced to two years’ probation.
Leduc told the inquiry - which is examining how institutions like the diocese handled historical sexual abuse allegations - that the committee was set up to take statements from a number of people who had contact with Deslauriers. Included on that list was Benoit Brisson, one of Deslauriers’ victims, and members of Brisson’s family.
The committee didn’t consider approaching people who weren’t mentioned in their mandate, Leduc told inquiry lawyer Karen Jones.
In May 1986, the committee delivered its final report to Bishop Eugene LaRocque. It made six recommendations, including that Deslauriers not be transferred to another diocese without first undergoing psychological treatment, that the priest would be on the hook financially for victims’ counselling, and that their report be sent to the pope’s representative in Canada.
But nowhere in the report, Jones pointed out, were recommendations that the victims’ allegations be given to an outside agency.
“Did you ever do any follow up with your client to see if they had been actually followed?” she asked.
“No,” said Leduc.
original story here
