Catholic priest Yvon Cormier, who died in 2020, has been the target of allegations of sexual assault against a minor. The alleged victim recently filed a civil lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Moncton.
Plaintiff is a woman in her fifties and now residing in California, United States. He is represented by Ontario lawyer Robert Talach, who counts several victims of the abusive Acadian priest among his clients.
In his notice of suit, filed in the Court of Queen’s Bench on May 24 and of which Radio-Canada Acadie obtained a copy, the plaintiff said he met Father Yvon Cormier in 1976. He and his family were then members. of Saint- Jean-Baptiste parish in Bouctouche, where Father Cormier was working at the time.
He accused Father Yvon Cormier of using his position of authority and his role as priest to form a close personal relationships with him. In the document, we read that it allows the man of the Church to be alone with the complainant and completely control him, victimize him and sexually abuse him.
The complainant states that the priest first had sex with her in 1977, when she was eight years old. He accused her of being repeatedly sexually assaulted, at church and in parsonage, over the next eight years.
Moved to California
His attorney, Robert Talach, said the alleged attacks stopped when the complainant and his family moved to California.
This step ended the abuse for him. He was recently in his car in California and he saw a billboard that says “have you been assaulted by a priest?” And he thought that “I should really take care of it”said Me Robert Talach.
In the notice of suit, the plaintiff asserted that the Catholic Archdiocese of Moncton was responsible for the alleged actions of Yvon Cormier. He is asking for financial compensation. The amount of money he wanted to get was not specified.
The allegations made in this notice of lawsuit have not yet been substantiated in court. The archdiocese has not yet responded to this notice of suit.
The Archdiocese speaks of a dedicated priest
Radio-Canada Acadie approached the Archdiocese of Moncton to react to the filing of its notice of prosecution. The Archbishop, Valéry Vienneau, responded via email that he could not comment on this process before the courts.
I can only say that Father Cormier is known as a faithful priest to his parishioners and the allegations against him do not match what we know about him.said Bishop Vienneau.
He added that since Father Yvon Cormier had died and he could not respond to the notice of suit, the Church would carefully consider it in accordance with its policies and procedures.
As long as the facts are known, we will give the plaintiff all necessary attention with seriousness and compassion for the plaintiff.he said.
Who is Father Yvon Cormier?
This is the first time Father Yvon Cormier, who died on October 24, 2020 at the age of 88, has been publicly targeted by sexual assault allegations.
In his long career, this church man from Dieppe has worked in several communities in southeastern New Brunswick.
He worked in Bouctouche, Moncton, Dieppe, Shediac, Scoudouc, Grande-Digue, Saint-Philippe, Collette and Rosaireville. He also served as a missionary in Latin America in the 1960s.
In 1996 and 1997, Father Yvon Cormier played a leading role in a case that caused unrest in the region.
He then received two Guatemalan nationals in the basement of the Sainte -Thérèse church in Dieppe – where he was the parish priest at the time – for 16 months.
The latter is the subject of a deportation notice and fears for their lives if they are returned to Guatemala. Many people in the community, including politicians, rallied in their cause.
Source: Radio-Canada
