Retired judge finds no reliable evidence against Quebec cardinal; purported victim declines to talk

By NICOLE WINFIELD and ROB GILLIES
Associated PRess

ROME (AP) — A retired Canadian judge says he hasn’t been able to find any reliable evidence of alleged sexual misconduct by the archbishop of Quebec. The purported victim has refused to be interviewed, and the cardinal has strongly denied the claim. Pope Francis had tasked Quebec retired judge André Denis to conduct a preliminary investigation for the Catholic Church into claims against Archbishop Gérald Lacroix. The allegations were contained in an amended class-action lawsuit filed in Canadian court against 100 current and former church personnel of the archdiocese. Denis’ investigation has no bearing on that lawsuit and concerns only the church’s handling of the allegations. The Vatican said Tuesday that based on Denis’ report, it planned no canonical trial against Lacroix.