ROME – After an anonymous allegation arose against close papal aide Cardinal Gérald C. Lacroix of Québec earlier this year, a preliminary canonical investigation launched by Pope Francis has found no evidence of misconduct.
On 25 January, Lacroix was named in a class action lawsuit filed against the Archdiocese of Quebec in 2022, with court documents alleging that he inappropriately touched a 17-year-old girl on two occasions: in 1987 and 1988. His accuser was not identified.
Lacroix subsequently denied the allegations but made the decision to withdraw from leadership of the archdiocese while an investigation took place.
