Next court date:  08 May 2019:  9 am, “to be spoken to,:  Alexandria courthouse ( 110 Main St N, Alexandria, Ontario) ‘ ; 03 April 2019 in Alexandria courthouse

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As a layman Gilles Deslaurier arrived in the diocese (from Sudbury Ontario) with Bishop Adolphe Proulx when the latter, an auxiliary in the Diocese of Sault Ste Marie,  was made Bishop of the Alexandria-Cornwall Diocese (1967).The story for years has been that there was a sexual relationship between the two.  Fact or fiction it is known that the two were, at the very least, very close friends. When Bishop Adolphe Proulx took the helm of the Roman Catholic Alexandria-Cornwall Diocese (1967-1974, then known as the Diocese of Alexandria),  Gilles Deslaurier, still a layman, served as his Master of Ceremonies and secretary and for a time, lived in the Bishop’s palace.

Ordained 1970 for the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, Ontario.

In 1974, when Bishop Proulx was assigned to the neighbouring Archdiocese of Gatineau-Hull (Quebec), he was replaced by Bishop Eugene Larocque, formerly a priest from the Diocese of London, Ontario.

After Bishop Larocque assumed control of the Diocese, Father Deslaurier helped out with a variety of diocesan activities. He assisted the Bishop with Religious Vocations for the French sector, served on the Liturgical Commission for the French sector, served on the Pastoral Ministry of Priests, and acted as chaplain in the Catholic Secondary School. For a number of years he was placed in charge of the diocese’s French Cursillo and R3 (R Cubed), a French youth Cursillo.

In January 1986, the parents of a young man, Benoit Brisson, approached Bishop Eugene Larocque alleging that their son had been sexually molested by Father Deslaurier. When no action was taken, the couple went to the Papal Nuncio, then Angelo Palmas. Following that visit with the Nuncio, Bishop Larocque carried out an internal investigation, then contacted the couple and promised that Deslaurier would be kept out of active ministry and relocated to receive therapy in the Gatineau-Hull Diocese (then under the helm of his predecessor Bishop Proulx).

Deslaurier resigned on the 13th of February.  One week later he was discovered saying Mass in a Hull parish where he was filling in for the ailing parish priest.

The Brissons went public and eventually nine charges of indecent assault against five boys transpiring between 1978 and 1984 were laid against Father Deslaurier.   Deslaurier was found guilty and sentenced to two years probation, reporting to a probation officer and Bishop Proulx!  ( Bishop Proulx volunteered to look after Deslaurier on probation – and the judge agreed.! Newspapers of the day reported that Bishop Proulx of the Gatineau-Hull Diocese had volunteered to watch over Deslaurier, an offer which the judge said, “indicates a confidence he has in the future of this person.”)

The media also reported that Cornwall Police Chief Claude Shaver said Bishop Larocque had been less than cooperative during the investigation.

According to testimony at the Cornwall Public Inquiry, before the Brissons went to police and went public, there were plans by a diocesan committee to offer Benoit $32,000 and to ask for “confidentiality”:  $32,000 is  the exact amount used to pay-off and silence David Silmser.  Diocesan lawyer Jacques Leduc, who represented the diocese in the Silmser pay-off,  was part of that ad hoc committee back in 1986.

Father Gilles Deslaurier moved on to St. Adele, Quebec, and then to Vercheres, Quebec. In 1997 the Ottawa Sun learned that Father Deslaurier was under investigation for new sex allegations in St. Adele.  Deslaurier threatened to sue the complainant and was then shuttled off to another corner of the diocese.  Bishop Vital Masse said that Father Deslaurier was free to say Mass and hear confessions “as soon as he wants.”

 MEDIA links

(Scroll down for  articles)

18 March 2019:  Former priest accused of indecent assault” with original French text

30 July 2008:  ‘I was under his control’ (Larocque re Deslaurier)

29 July 2008:  Former bishop out of his element when it came to handling allegations, says priest who had inside info (re Oblate priest Father Bernard Menard’s testimony)

14 July 2008:  Church panel didn’t share tales of sex abuse:Outside agencies weren’t told about historical allegations (Leduc involvement in Deslaurier)

03 July 2008:  Priest never thought of going to police, CAS

31 October 2006:  DIRECTIONS ON PROCESS – REQUESTS FOR CONFIDENTIALITY OF VICTIMS’ OR ALLEGED VICTIMS’ IDENTITIES  (“Openness is particularly important in the context of this Inquiry, which is expected to dispel rumours and innuendoes and ascertain allegations of cover-up and conspiracy theories.”)

13 October 2006:  “Conflict Over Confidentiality At Inquiry” & related article (Re Deslaurier, Lise Brisson testimony, C-1 and publication bans)

06 October 2006:  Bishop sorry for suffering (Durocher apology re Deslaurier)

30 May 1986:  Accused priest ends posting in Hull church

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24 July 2008:  Bishop Adolphe Proulx Overview of Documentary Evidence presented at the Cornwall Public Inquiry (scroll to p 176) – references to Gilles Delaurier ordination

 BLOGS

22 July 2008:  BLOG  The fix is in

15 October 2006:  BLOG What am I missing?  (re Leduc witness tampering & inquiry being conducted like a trial)

12 October 2006:  BLOG Connecting the dots (Re Leduc interference at Deslaurier Prelim, and Nelson Barque connections)

11 October 2006:  BLOG Clerical sexual abuse victim’s ex-wife testifies

07 October 2006:  BLOG What’s wrong with people’s heads? (Re Mrs. Brisson’s testimony re who was advised re abuse)

Further Info

Living in the Bishop’s place with Proulx, retired Bishop Rosario Brodeur and Fathers Donald Kerr and Rejean Lebrun.

Ordained: 1970 for Diocese of Alexandria (Alexandria-Cornwall).

1971-72:  Secretary to Bishop Adolphe Proulx.  (Listed in Catholic directory as living in the Bishop’s palace with Proulx and retired Bishop Rosario Brodeur.)

April 1971 – 01 September 1977: administrator of Saint Mary of the Assumption at Green Valley

1977: Became involved in R³ (also referred to as “R3” or “R Cubed”) a youth movement for young people age 17 to 25  which in French stands for “Recontre” and means “Meeting with Oneself, Meeting with others, Meeting with Christ.” 

Youth from the Alexandria-Cornwall diocese initially travelled to the Convent of the Sacred Heart Sisters in Ottawa for the weekend retreat.  Most of those youth were from Alexandria, having being recruited through the local secondary school. 

After Father Deslaurier was named Chaplain at La Citadelle he began encouraging students at the school to attend the weekends.

September 1977: named Chaplain at la Citadelle secondary school in Cornwall. Living in residence at St. John Bosco.

According to testimony at the Cornwall Public Inquiry it was the Principal of the school. Jeanine Seguin, who hired Deslaurier, and it was was Seguin who asked Father Rejean Lebrun if Deslaurier could live in the rectory at St. John Bosco.  Deslaurier then lived in the rectory for seven years.  Lebrun described the last few years of the arrangement as difficult because there were young people around and/or phoning at all hours.

[Jeannine Seguin lived with Archbishop Proulx’ sister]

1978 – ?1985:    Deslaurier began organizing and conducting the R Cubed weekends locally at the Sacred Heart Juniorate in Summerstown.

Initially Deslaurier was assisted by Father Luc Bouchard (now Bishop of Saint Paul, Alberta).  When Bouchard left to study in Rome he was replaced by Father Denis Vaillancourt. 

In a period of six years (1978-84) 900 young people from the diocese attended the retreats.  It is unknown how many Roman Catholic youth from the diocese attended the retreats in Ottawa. (Strangely it seems that after 1985 the weekend retreats were no longer conducted locally and groups were again sent to Ottawa, and also Valleyfield, Quebec)

R3 was eventually replaced by La Releve, a youth movement for 15 to 18-year-old teens. 

1980:  St. John Bosco in Cornwall (with Father Rejean Lebrun)

• In charge of French vocations to the priesthood for the diocese.

• In charge of Juvenat du Sacre-Coeur.

• French sector Chairman for Liturgy for the diocese (Father Kevin Maloney in charge of English sector, Father Luc Bouchard Coordinator, and Sister Mary McAlear sscj in charge of music)

• Listed in charge of the diocesan French Cursillo movement.  Father Charles MacDonald was in charge of the English Cursillo movement. 

Cursillo is one of the many “lay-led” “renewal” movements which proliferated after Vatican II.  It comprises initially of a weekend, Thursday evening to Saturday afternoon, conducted at a facility large enough to cheaply accommodate the numbers for meals and bedding – often a Church hall or local camp. 

 The weekends are traditionally gender specific – men traditionally ‘doing’ their Cursillo first and women a week or two later. At least one priest is present at the facility and participating in events for the duration of the weekend – preferably there are two.

The English Cursillo movement under Father Charles MacDonald’s leadership was active from 1974 -1980.  Although Deslaurier was listed as running the French branch of the movement in the diocese for some of those years it is known that until 1979 the French Cursillo existed in name and name alone.  There is a good possibility that Deslaurier assisted on the English weekends. 

1984-1986:   Pastor at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Cornwall (the Co-cathedral)

January 1986: the parents of a young man approached Bishop Eugene Larocque alleging that their son had been sexually molested by Father Deslaurier.  When no action was taken, the couple went to the Papal Nuncio, then Angelo Palmas.  Following that visit, Bishop Larocque carried out an internal investigation, then contacted the couple and promised that Deslaurier would be  kept out of active ministry and relocated to receive therapy in the Gatineau-Hull Diocese (then under the helm of Bishop Proulx, the former Bishop of Alexandria-Cornwall).

Deslaurier resigned on the 13th of February.  One week later he was discovered saying Mass in a Hull parish where he was filling in for the ailing parish priest.

Eventually Deslaurier faced 16 charges charges of sexual abuse against five boys between 1978 and 1984.  Four charges were dropped after the preliminary hearing due to insufficient evidence, and a further seven were withdrawn at the pre-trial by  Crown Attorney Rommel Masse who deemed those charges to be of a minor nature.  Deslaurier entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to two years probation, reporting to a probation officer and Bishop Proulx.  Newspapers of the day reported that Bishop Proulx of the Gatineau-Hull Diocese had volunteered to watch over Deslaurier, an offer which the judge said, “indicates a confidence he has in the future of this person.”

Father Deslaurier moved on, serving as a priest in St. Adele, Quebec, and then on to Vercheres, Quebec.

In 1997 the Ottawa Sun learned that Father Deslaurier was under investigation for new sex allegations in St. Adele.  When Deslaurier learned of the allegations his response to his Bishop Vital Masse was to threaten to sue the alleged victims.  Deslaurier was shuttled off to another corner of the diocese.  Bishop Masse said that Father Deslaurier was free to say Mass and hear confessions “as soon as he wants.”

MEDIA Coverage

Church considered another payout

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

Wednesday, July 23, 2008 9:34:35 EDT AM

Trevor Pritchard

Eight years before David Silmser’s $32,000 payout became public in 1994, church officials considered negotiating a similar settlement with another abuse victim, the Cornwall Public Inquiry heard yesterday.

Sr. Claudette Pilon was one of three people assigned by the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese to look into sexual abuse allegations against Rev. Gilles Deslauriers in 1986.

Among the witnesses the ad hoc committee -which also included Msgr. Bernard Guindon and diocesan lawyer Jacques Leduc – met with was Benoit Brisson, one of Deslauriers’ victims.

Pilon said the committee was “really afflicted” after hearing Brisson’s story and wanted to come up with a way to help him.

“We discussed the fact it might be possible to give him some money and to also ask him for confidentiality,” said Pilon, who testified in French.

“But this was not actually the chosen solution.” Pilon said the specific amount the committee discussed was $32,000. She told commission lawyer Pierre Dumais she couldn’t remember whose idea the settlement was.

In September 1993, Silmser agreed to accept $32,000 from the diocese in exchange for not pursuing charges against Rev. Charles MacDonald. MacDonald had allegedly abused Silmser decades earlier when he was an altar boy at St. Columban’s Church in Cornwall. He was charged by the Ontario Provincial Police in 1996 with sexually abusing a number of boys, but the charges were stayed six years later after a judge ruled they’d taken too long to go to trial.

Leduc represented the diocese in those negotiations.

Silmser wasn’t named when the first media reports about the payout surfaced in January 1994, and Pilon said she originally believed Brisson was the recipient of the money.

“I thought right away of Benoit,” she said. Deslauriers pleaded guilty in November 1986 to abusing Brisson and three other Cornwall teens between 1979 and 1981. He was given two years’ probation.

Pilon is scheduled to retake the stand when the inquiry resumes today at 9:30 a. m.

Priest ‘not prepared’ to deal with allegations of abuse

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

22 July 2008

Posted By Trevor Pritchard

Cornwall

A North Stormont clergyman told the Cornwall Public Inquiry he was “not at all prepared” to handle abuse allegations he received in the 1950s and 1960s against his fellow priests.

Msgr. Réjean Lebrun, who was ordained by the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese in 1962, told a lawyer for a community group he didn’t turn over complaints against Paul Lapierre, Lucien Lussier, and Carl Stone to the authorities because of his inexperience.

“I was not at all prepared for that type of situation,” said Lebrun, 73.

“It was completely beyond me.”

Testifying in French, Lebrun told the inquiry – which is probing how institutions like the diocese handled allegations of sexual abuse from decades earlier – that Lapierre was the vicar in the parish where he grew up.

It was there, Lebrun said, that he first heard rumours Lapierre had assaulted another youth.

Lapierre was found guilty in 2004 by a Quebec judge for assaulting a 13-year-old Montreal boy in the 1960s. He had previously been charged and acquitted in Ontario.

Lebrun said he tried to divulge the rumours to the victim’s mother after Lapierre’s trial, but she didn’t want to hear them.

“That was the end of that story,” Lebrun said. “So I did not follow up.”

Lebrun said he also received an allegation against Stone in 1965 from a Cornwall high school student.

Stone – who died two years ago – had left the diocese in 1963. Lebrun said when he went to another priest for an explanation for Stone’s departure, the priest threw his hands up and said “young boys.”

Lebrun also said he learned of a relationship between Lussier and another boy “in very little detail” during a meeting with Lussier’s parishioners sometime around 1967.

Lussier was charged in September 2007 and again in January 2008 with indecent assault charges going back five decades. His case is still before the courts.

Peter Wardle, an attorney for the Citizens for Community Renewal, suggested that in the 1960s, the clergy viewed sexual abuse allegations as something “the bishop was dealing with.”

It was likely Lebrun wouldn’t have felt obligated to go to the police or the Children’s Aid Society, Wardle said.

“You’re absolutely right,” said Lebrun. “I only had three years’ experience. I was a very, very new priest.”

Lebrun told Dallas Lee, an attorney for The Victims Group, he also learned of an allegation against a fourth priest, Hollis Lapierre, in the 1960s.

A young man in his 20s had come for advice on whether it was all right to sleep with his same-sex lover. When Lebrun said it wasn’t, the man replied: “So what do you do with Father (Hollis) Lapierre, who plays with the young people?”

Lebrun said he was “really angered” by the allegation, which he delivered to the bishop’s office.

Hollis Lapierre, Paul Lapierre’s brother, died in 1975.

Lebrun testified there was still no official protocol in place two decades later when allegations surfaced against another priest, Gilles Deslauriers.

Deslauriers pleaded guilty in November 1986 to four counts of gross indecency and was sentenced to two years’ probation.

“We were profoundly shocked,” said Lebrun. “It was the first time we had to manage such a crisis. We were lost.”

Lebrun was the priest at the former St. John Bosco parish from 1972 until 1987, and knew Deslauriers from the time he boarded there while he was chaplain at la Citadelle, a local high school.

One of Deslauriers’ victims told police that Deslauriers would molest him in his office, stopping temporarily as Lebrun walked by.

Lebrun said he never saw the abuse happen. “The windows were frosted,” said Lebrun. “I never saw anything, really. I never heard anything.”

After the allegations against Deslauriers became public, rumours spread through the parish without any official statement from the bishop’s office, Lebrun said.

Still, then-bishop Eugene LaRocque was saddened by the situation and wanted to take action, Lebrun said.

“I don’t remember the exact words but I remember enough to tell you that Msgr. LaRocque was deeply troubled by these events,” he told Lee.

Over the next decade-and-a-half, Lebrun would take part in many meetings with the goal of hammering out a protocol for dealing with abuse complaints.

He helped craft the diocese’s 2003 guidelines, and said Monday that he regretted not having a similar protocol to refer to decades earlier.

“Had I had the knowledge I have today, the guidelines I have today, the protocol I have today, it’s clear that the reactions I would’ve had would be very different,” Lebrun said.

Church panel didn’t share tales of sex abuse

Outside agencies weren’t told about historical allegations

Ottawa Citizen

Monday, July 14, 2008

Neco Cockburn

CORNWALL – A church committee set up in the mid-80s to look into allegations of historical sexual abuse by a priest did not recommend that outside agencies be notified about the complaints, a public inquiry heard yesterday.

Jacques Leduc, a Cornwall lawyer who acted for the Alexandria-Cornwall Catholic diocese “from time-to-time” between 1978 and 1994, was on an ad hoc three-member committee that, in May 1986, made six recommendations in a case involving Rev. Gilles Deslauriers.

The recommendations included suspending the priest and barring him from public ministry, the inquiry into the institutional response to allegations of systemic historical sexual abuse heard yesterday.

But there was no suggestion that other agencies, such as the police, should be told about information received by the committee. Commission counsel Karen Jones asked Mr. Leduc whether that stemmed from the allegations being historical in nature, with the alleged victims being adults when the complaints were received.

“I am fairly certain that is the reason why,” Mr. Leduc, 57, said.

Police did receive a complaint, however, and in July 1986, Father Deslauriers was charged with several counts of indecent assault and gross indecency. Four months later, he was sentenced to two years probation after pleading guilty to four charges of gross indecency involving youths between 1979 and 1981.

Mr. Leduc’s testimony at the inquiry, which is hearing testimony from people associated with the church, is expected to continue until at least tomorrow and touch on some of the key events that have formed the basis for the public probe.

Mr. Leduc acted as a lawyer for the diocese to negotiate a $32,000 settlement with David Silmser in 1993 to have him withdraw a criminal complaint. Yesterday, the inquiry heard that in 1986, Mr. Leduc interviewed priests, community members, alleged victims and their families in connection with allegations against Father Deslauriers.

Mr. Leduc had feared that the committee’s recommendations would not be followed, but he did not follow up with his client when the report was completed, he said.

Two days before the committee delivered its report, Cornwall police received a complaint and launched an investigation that eventually led to charges against Father Deslauriers.

Mr. Leduc was not questioned by police during their investigation despite his participation in the committee, the inquiry heard. Mr. Leduc himself eventually appeared on police radar as a result of allegations that a group of pedophiles had been operating around Cornwall for years, with high-ranking members of the community trying to cover it up.

In June 1998, Mr. Leduc was charged with sex-related offences that emerged from the OPP-led Project Truth probe. Charges were stayed twice: in 2001, after a judge ruled the Crown had withheld information; and in October 2004, when a judge ruled the case had taken too long to get to trial.

Priest never thought of going to police, CAS

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

03 July 2008

Posted By TREVOR PRITCHARD

A Roman Catholic priest who learned in 1986 two young men had been sexually abused by one of his colleagues didn’t think of telling the police or the Children’s Aid Society, the Cornwall Public Inquiry heard Wednesday.

Rev. Denis Vaillancourt said that Benoit Brisson and Claude Thibault wanted their allegations against Rev. Gilles Deslauriers “resolved quietly within the confines of the church.”

“These individuals were victims,” said Vaillancourt, who testified in French through a translator. “They were victimized by a priest and I did not want to go counter to what they wanted.”

Deslauriers was initially charged with 16 sex-related offences after Brisson went to the media with his allegations. He pleaded guilty in November 1986 to four counts of gross indecency, and received two years’ probation.

Before the allegations surfaced, Deslauriers had been a full-time chaplain at La Citadelle, a French language high school in Cornwall. He and Vaillancourt also ran a spiritual retreat for young people between 18 and 25 at the time.

Vaillancourt testified he was part of an ad hoc committee that the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese struck after then-bishop Eugene LaRocque removed Deslauriers from his parish in February 1986.

Dallas Lee, an attorney for The Victims Group, showed Vaillancourt a comment he made to that committee in which he appeared to be “scared” the school board might become legally involved in the case.

Vaillancourt told Lee that, as was the case with the police and the CAS, he didn’t inform the school board because Brisson and Thibault wanted the matter dealt with by the church.

“I have never had any intention of going against the law, obviously, and when the police got involved, you can see by the documents that I cooperated fully,” said Vaillancourt.

Brisson’s mother, Lise, told the inquiry in October 2006 one of the reasons her family went public with the allegations against Deslauriers was a lack of action on the diocese’s part.

Vaillancourt testified last week that the diocese had no strict protocol in 1986 for dealing with sexual abuse allegations against priests.

One of the reasons the ad hoc committee formed was to deal with complaints that Deslauriers had begun serving at a parish in the Gatineau- Hull area, Vaillancourt said.

“This was fresh ground for you, and there’s others involved in this who were concerned, correct?” asked Peter Wardle, an attorney for the Citizens for Community Renewal.

“Yes, that’s so,” said Vaillancourt. Lee asked Vaillancourt if the diocese ever canvassed its employees to see if there were any other “problem priests” after Deslauriers was convicted.

Vaillancourt said while there were annual “assessments” of the clergy’s job performance, he didn’t know if the diocese was ever looking at whether priests were abusing children.

Yesterday’s testimony wrapped up early after Lee announced his intention to put a list of 19 names to Vaillancourt, in order to see if he’d ever received allegations against them.

That led to vigorous objections from diocese lawyer David Sherriff- Scott, who said it would be “grossly prejudicial” and time-consuming to publicly name the names.

Lee argued that the people on his list had already been named in statements or affidavits posted on websites or had come up during previous testimony.

“It is inconceivable to me that any person on this list would come as a surprise to anybody in this room,” Lee said.

Inquiry commissioner Normand Glaude adjourned the hearings before delivering his decision. It’s expected the matter will be cleared up, and that Vaillancourt will finish testifying, when the inquiry resumes this morning.

Article ID# 1097955

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Comments

Oh my aching f*cking head, he didn’t think of going to either the CAS or the cops (not that either would probably do any good, judging from hindsight!), what was he thinking or did that come with training? Seems to me that priests got “covertly” transferred to other diocese when they got caught sexually abusing little boys, ask that priest Law in the States, I think they even made him a Bishop or Cardinal or something when it was learned just exactly what HE knew and or did. So from the sounds of it, this Vaillancourt knew that 2 boys had been sexually abused by this clown and if this clown had abused those two, chances were pretty good that even HE should have known that there may have been more! And as for his statement made above and I quote: “I have never had any intention of going against the law, obviously, and when the police got involved, you can see by the documents that I cooperated fully,” said Vaillancourt.” I’m still shaking my head. So according to him, he never thought of going either to the cops or CAS but when the cops came to HIM, then HE cooperated fully, I guess he didn’t want his butt thrown in the slammer. It’s going to prove interesting to hear about what he has to say about that list of 19 names that Lee will be asking him about. I don’t even think that GOD himself should have mercy on any of those priests and others who either knew or sexually abused any of those kids and I hope the whole lot of them rot in Hell and I’m not even sure if Satan would want them either. Sexual abuse against children in CornHole and it when on for decades that we know of and people in CornHole still bury their collective head in the sand. Congratulations are again in order eh CornHole. I wonder what the “good” citizenry of CornHole are thinking now or are they STILL in DENIAL?

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #1 By booga-booga

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Listening to this Priest shows the coverup by them and the lack of remorse they have for the grief they caused these victims and the fact taht they transfer an abuser to another district show there total disregard for the protection of children. In my play book he is nothing but a lair and shows the church has little reqard for anyone but themselves.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #2 By what justice

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I’ve been out of town for a few days. Glad to be back to the “hacksville” tabloid.
Just “wonderful”, isn’t it? No mandatory reporting/duty to report by the “Church” and no reason to think, “maybe the police or “CAS” must be notified”. So, let’s see, the police didn’t think they had to report, the clergy didn’t think they had to report, probation and parole were jokes, etc., etc., Ha!! Ha!! Ha!!

And I suppose, in his final report, Commissioner Glaude will find “shared responsibility”, incompetence, inadequate knowledge or resources, etc., etc. as the cause and provide funding to the waiting “pack of snots”. That is, after the lawyers have received their “pounds”.

And the ongoing litigations, now partially, publicly disclosed? Well-disgusting, just disgusting; who financed them…WHO? Believe me, there are many, many, many other litigations and/or settlements, to this story. This is exactly why the “mal-practice, liability insurance carrier, lawyers” streamed into the public inquiry and were granted standing and funding; to protect their previous assertions/representations, existing and anticipated “suits”; no other reason, NONE!!!….and in all cases, funded by the public.

Oh, “2 sides”, re: coffee meeting”. Way back (Saturday, June 28, 2008 postings?), I was referencing your post#26 therein, when I reiterated my invitation to you for a coffee meeting in Cornwall. However, I certainly understand some possible reasons for your “muddle-headed” depiction of the facts.

And, oh yes, you “can’t remember” who told you who I am, but, you don’t know who I am, but you feel it necessary, as others have, to suggest where I live or who I am.
“Local Reader” once said something like, “James, as I recall, you left Cornwall for greener pastures…”. In the billions of people on this earth, who have access to the “Standard-Freeholder” site, “Local Reader” and you, narrow down the James’ of the world.

How about getting to know me? “SaintPeter-47”, I’ll meet the group. Name the place in Cornwall and time…mutually agreed upon, of course.

By chance “2sides”, based on the above, was it you who was contracted (over $250,000.) to prepare “Cornwall Police Services” to testify at the “public inquiry”, sounds like it.
Just a note on “rumour and innuendo”. I was re-visiting notes on politics, public opinion, affluent personalities, surrounding, “rumour and innuendo”. I was listening to a tape on the topic.

According to my learnings and experiences, “rumour and innuendo” is the easiest of all perceived “attacks” to dispel. On the contrary and to be brief, hiring a truckload of lawyers, filing litigation after litigation, after litigation and spending MILLIONS, to silence or coerce, complainants or their agents, is in part, perceived negatively by the public and borders on a laymen’s perception of an “admission of guilt”..

DO you want to know how to dispel rumour and innuendo, for good? I know and I am available to conduct a fifteen minute seminar; cost to politicians, lawyers and their surrogates=two million dollars. Cost to laymen and some professionals=no charge.

Finally, again, I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear. I am not burdened with stress, anxiety, fear or sickness, because I know and accept ME, I know the facts and I trust in God’s Will, not mine. FAITH.

As far as the so-called, “Cornwall Public Inquiry” and some contributors to the site are concerned, I offer this; “Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.” (quotation)

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #3 By JAMES “SPEAK OUT”,

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These people that represent the church make me sick with their excuses. They did nothin g to prevent that priest from molesting again and they did nothing to make sure no other victims were around they quietly swept it under the rug.

That is what a cover up is all about.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #4 By Dodger

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This priest does not have contempt for the court he has contempt for the intelligence of people in this community. He is as bad as the one that did the molesting of the victims because he helped to cover the whole thing up instead of doing the right thing which was to report it to CAS and or the police. Except the police part might be a little sketchy since they bungled the job themselves.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #5 By Dodger

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It a sad day for Cornwall al of 5 folks comment on this article, is it lack of concern or are we just a bunch of stupid people. if one of your children or grandchildren are the victims I bet you will be heard from loud and clear.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #6 By what justice

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I agree it is a sad day for Cornwall. As a native born and bred there, who moved away many years ago – I am following what is happening in my hometown. Seems like nothing has changed in the almost 40 years since I left!! Occassional visit to family – I am saddened about the goings on of the priests in Cornwall and the cover ups- however, this has been going on for years in other places across Canada and the US – even had movies about it – why does it take Cornwall so long to catch up with the rest of the world?

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #7 By majekin

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the citzens no the truth just ask them.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #8 By luckyred,

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Don’t forget the “Precious Reputation” that Cornwall has being trying to protect all of these years and yet those same citizens who bash “outsiders” for reminding them of their part or not in this and the “outsiders” seem to be the closest to the truth! How could ANYONE in the establishment NOT KNOW of this and to blame others or to deny or to intimidate, harrass, threaten and “computer glitch” the public in itself is a miscarriage of justice but of human rights. And I’m talking about the human rights of those who had been abused and they too, I would allege were also intimidated, harrassed, threatened, bribed, paid off, etc., etc., etc.! And I just noticed this just by mere coincidence that I didn’t see or hear from good old 2Faced or Itinerant, what’s up you two or is this even toooooooooooo much for even you to dolts to get? And you even managed to get Armegedon tossed, when he had more knowledge, compassion and sense than most of you all put together!! Congratulations, one person who could be of help and you screw him oooops, I forgot your “Precious Reputation”!

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #9 By saintpeter-47

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And to whatjustice, on your Post # 6, You are right on the money!!!! There are more people on this thread commenting on some stupid soccer field or ciggie smuggling or the St Lawrence River or whatever unimportant things that go on in Cornwall which includes this Gem, the “Precious Rep” of the Hole when the only “Precious Rep” you have is for those who bury their heads up their anuses and blame others for what YOU YOURSELVES neglected and still do to this very day. By the way, you DO have a “Precious Rep” but it’s for ALL OF THE WRONG REASONS! What a bunch of no good hypocrites most of you are!

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #10 By saintpeter-47,

the citzens no the truth just ask them.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #8 By luckyred

Don’t forget the “Precious Reputation” that Cornwall has being trying to protect all of these years and yet those same citizens who bash “outsiders” for reminding them of their part or not in this and the “outsiders” seem to be the closest to the truth! How could ANYONE in the establishment NOT KNOW of this and to blame others or to deny or to intimidate, harrass, threaten and “computer glitch” the public in itself is a miscarriage of justice but of human rights. And I’m talking about the human rights of those who had been abused and they too, I would allege were also intimidated, harrassed, threatened, bribed, paid off, etc., etc., etc.! And I just noticed this just by mere coincidence that I didn’t see or hear from good old 2Faced or Itinerant, what’s up you two or is this even toooooooooooo much for even you to dolts to get? And you even managed to get Armegedon tossed, when he had more knowledge, compassion and sense than most of you all put together!! Congratulations, one person who could be of help and you screw him oooops, I forgot your “Precious Reputation”!

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #9 By saintpeter-47

…………………………………….

And to whatjustice, on your Post # 6, You are right on the money!!!! There are more people on this thread commenting on some stupid soccer field or ciggie smuggling or the St Lawrence River or whatever unimportant things that go on in Cornwall which includes this Gem, the “Precious Rep” of the Hole when the only “Precious Rep” you have is for those who bury their heads up their anuses and blame others for what YOU YOURSELVES neglected and still do to this very day. By the way, you DO have a “Precious Rep” but it’s for ALL OF THE WRONG REASONS! What a bunch of no good hypocrites most of you are!

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #10 By saintpeter-47,

Guilty plea

November 11, 198612.39 EST

National general news

Priest

CORNWALL, Ont. (CP)

A Roman Catholic priest who had offered to help young men with their sexual problems was sentenced to two years’ probation Monday after pleading guilty to four counts of gross indecency.Under terms of probation, Rev. Gilles Deslauriers, 49, will report to a probation officer and to Monsignor Adolphe Proulx, bishop of Hull, Que. He will also be treated by a psychologist.

In sentencing, district court Judge Fernand Gratton noted Proulx’s offer to watch over Deslauriers “indicates a confidence he has in the future of this person.”

Police charged Deslauriers last July after complaints from a Cornwall family prompted a two-month investigation. Originally, Deslauriers faced eight counts of indecent assault and eight counts of gross indecency in incidents alleged to have occurred between 1978 and 1984 involving several youths.

Court was told Deslauriers, a chaplain at a local secondary school, had offered help for sexual problems, saying he had a degree in psychology and philosophy.

DROP CHARGES

At a preliminary hearing in September, four counts of gross indecency and one charge of indecent assault were dropped because of insufficient evidence.

At Monday’s pre-trial hearing, seven more counts of indecent assault were dropped by Crown Attorney Rommel Masse, who explained the charges were of a minor nature.

Deslauriers’s defence lawyer Gilles Charlebois agreed the actions by his client were “inexcusable,” but he said the acts were of a “clinical, not erotic” nature.

However, the judge said Deslauriers, as a Catholic priest, had “abused the trust” the young men and their parents placed in

Gratton said the young men who came to Deslauriers “believed it was correct because a priest said it was correct.”

Masse asked for “short and sharp justice,” including a three-month jail sentence.

But the judge said a jail term “would add little in the way of deterrence” in this case.

Ordered to trial

September 18, 1986
16.24 EDT
National general news

CORNWALL, Ont. (CP)

A 49-year-old Roman Catholic priest was ordered Thursday to stand trial on 11 charges of indecent assault and gross indecency involving nine Cornwall youths.   Provincial Court Judge Claude Paris ruled at the conclusion of a four-day preliminary hearing there was sufficient evidence against Rev. Gilles Deslauriers.

The judge imposed a ban on publication of evidence and identifying witnesses.

Delauriers, a former chaplain at the city’s francophone high school, has elected trial by judge and jury. A trial date will be set Nov. 13.   He was charged last July with eight counts of indecent assault and eight counts of gross indecency between 1978 and 1984 involving nine Cormwall residents aged 17 to 21.

Crown Attorney Rommel Masse agreed Wednesday to drop four charges of gross indecency and one charge of indecent assault because of insufficient evidence.   Indecent assault carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The maximum sentence for gross indecency is five years.

Priest Charged

July 5, 1986

11.16 EDT

National general news

CORNWALL, Ont. (CP)
A 49-year-old Roman Catholic priest is to appear in provincial court Monday on a total of 16 six counts of indecent assault and gross indecency.

Rev. Gilles Deslauriers, whose address is given as a Catholic religious retreat at Lac Nominingue, near Mont Laurier, Que., turned himself in Friday after police announced a warrant had been issued for his arrest.

Deslauriers is charged with eight counts of indecent assault and eight counts of gross indecency relating to a six-year period ending in 1984. The charges follow a six-week investigation and involved young men aged 17 to 21 at that time when Deslauriers was a priest at the Nativity Parish Roman Catholic Church in Cornwall.

He is the second Eastern Ontario priest to face similar charges in the last month.

Rev. Dale Crampton, 50, of Nepean, Ont. – just outside Ottawa -appeared in court June 20 charged with nine counts of indecent assault involving five boys during a four-year period ending in 1980. He has been remanded for trial Aug. 14.

Cornwall Bishop Eugene LaRocque, head of the Alexandria-Cornwall diocese, was not available for comment Friday and has previously refused all comment on Deslauriers.

Priest-Arrested

July 4, 1986

12.49 EDT

National general news

Espy Que

CORNWALL, Ont. (CP)

Police have issued an arrrest warrant for a Roman Catholic priest on 16 counts of indecent assault and gross indecency.

The warrant is for Rev. Gilles Deslauriers, 49, of Lac-Nominingue, Que. Cornwall police said Deslauriers is a priest in Hull, Que.

Since the investigation began on May 22, police have interviewed nine males living in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, police chief Claude Shaver said.

The eight charges of indecent assault and eight of gross indecency relate to a six-year period ending in 1984 and involve men aged 17 to 21 at the time. Deslauriers was then a priest at the Nativiy Parish Roman Catholic Church in Cornwall.

End of document.