Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who holds a high position in the Vatican government, was accused of sexual abuse in a class action made public Tuesday in Canada and involving more than 80 members of the diocese of Quebec.

The cleric -current prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, one of the most important functions within the Curia, the government of the Vatican- is accused of inappropriately touching an intern between 2008 and 2010 while he was Archbishop of Quebec, according to the documents of the legal action admitted by the Superior Court of this French-speaking province last May.

The revelations take place three weeks after a visit by Pope Francis to Canada, during which he apologized for abuses perpetrated by members of the Church in residential schools.

Contacted by the French press agency AFPthe diocese of Quebec said it had “taken note of the accusations made against Cardinal Marc Ouellet” and did not want to “make absolutely no comment on the subject”.

The charges are among the testimonies of 101 people “who were sexually assaulted” by clergy and lay employees between June 1940 and present.include court documents.

In the case of Marc Ouellet, a woman identified by the letter “F.” he claims to have been abused by the Cardinal on several occasions. According to his complaint, Cardinal Ouellet allegedly “kissed” her and “slid his hand” down her back “up to her buttocks” in 2010.

In February, during an important symposium at the Vatican in the presence of Pope Francis, Cardinal Ouellet alluded to the “drama of sexual abuse committed by clerics” and he criticized “secret criminal behavior for too long to protect the institution”.

“We are all torn and humbled by these critical questions that challenge us every day as members of the Church,” he said then.

(With information from AFP)

Continue reading: