Vatican cardinal sues for defamation in Quebec assault claim

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — A Vatican cardinal is suing a Canadian woman for defamation after she accused him of sexual assault while he was archbishop of Quebec. Cardinal Marc Ouellet is head of the Vatican’s bishops’ office. He is seeking 100,000 Canadian dollars (US$74,000) in compensatory damages for “injury to his reputation, honor and dignity.” A copy of the complaint was provided by Ouellet’s office on Tuesday. The woman, identified only as F., was one of several people who brought a class-action lawsuit against the archdiocese of Quebec in August that accused several priests, including Ouellet, of sexual abuse or assault. F. accused Ouellet of inappropriate, sexual touches on four occasions in the late 2000s, charges he has strongly denied.