MONTREAL — Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet, once considered a front-runner to become pope, has been accused of sexual assault and is among a list of clergy members and diocesan staff named in a class-action lawsuit against the archdiocese of Quebec.
The lawsuit involving Ouellet is one of two introductory applications for class action brought by Montreal-based law firm Arsenault Dufresne Wee Avocats. The two class actions had recently been authorized by a Quebec judge, and the law firm had 90 days to submit the introductory documents detailing the alleged crimes.
Lawyer Justin Wee said Tuesday in an interview it's "inevitable" that the class actions his law firm filed will lead to more people coming forward against the church in the coming weeks.
In the first lawsuit, in which Ouellet is named, 101 alleged victims have accused about 88 priests or diocesan staff of sexual assault. The archdiocese of Quebec said in a statement on Tuesday it was aware of the allegations, but it declined to comment.
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