The Archdiocese of Quebec in Canada will pay out an eight-figure sum as part of a major class action lawsuit that has played out there over the last several years.
The archdiocese said in a press release that the agreement was ratified on Aug. 12 by Quebec Superior Court Judge Danye Daigle. The law firm Dufresne Wee, which had originally brought the lawsuit in 2020, also confirmed the settlement on its own website.
An Aug. 12 filing in the superior court said the agreement would consist of $31.5 million "to compensate the class members covered by [the] class action."
The agreement also stipulated that a "letter of apology" would be delivered to abuse victims.
In its press release the archdiocese said its leaders "welcome this news." The archdiocese said Church officials were "aware that [the settlement] can help members continue on their path to peace and healing."
Announcing the settlement, Auxiliary Bishop Jean Tailleur told victims: "Faced with the suffering you are carrying, there is little that my words can relieve or heal."
"However, something must be said," the prelate continued. "On behalf of the Catholic Church of Quebec, I would like to offer you our most sincere apologies."
The archdiocese said alleged abuse victims would have a final chance to join the class action settlement prior to the distribution of the funds.
The payout signals the looming end of a process that has taken place over more than half a decade, starting in August 2020 when the first filing in the class action suit was made in the superior court.
Filings in the lengthy lawsuit had accused two major Church leaders in Quebec of committing abuse. In January 2024, Archbishop Cardinal Gerald Lacroix was accused of abusing a 17-year-old teenager decades before. Lacroix was ultimately cleared by the Vatican after an investigation.
In 2022 the Vatican also said it would not pursue a trial against Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who had been accused of abuse in a 2022 filing in the class action suit that was settled this month.
The Vatican said it found "no elements to initiate a trial" against the cardinal regarding the allegations.
