Statement from the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall
Re Fr. Denis VaillancourtSeptember 11, 2017
Today, Denis Vaillancourt, a retired priest of the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault pursuant to section 271 of the Criminal Code of Canada.
The diocese regrets any case where a priest is found to have betrayed his vows and the sacred trust that is expected of a Roman Catholic cleric. Fr. Vaillancourt, who is no longer in active ministry, will be sentenced on November 10, 2017 in connection with the court case.
The Freeholder, apparently the newspaper of choice for things Catholic in Cornwall, published some very lurid content.
The priest’s crime was that during a visit at the summer cottage owned by the victim’s family, he groped the young man’s buttocks and abdomen while asking about the size of his penis and about whether he “spits or swallows” while having oral sex with other men. Vaillancourt, it was said in court, had targeted the man in his early 20s because he had heard from his grandmother during confession that he was gay.
Using confessional info to go grindr is kinda special.
Father Vaillancourt is not apparently active as a priest. This raises the question again about homosexuality and the Catholic Church. The main question being about the basic hypocrisy. For example this writer is aware of at least one other local actively gay priest. I’ve always felt it simply wasn’t my business unless he did something that became newsworthy.
And of course that longtime stalwart of television, Coronation Street, now has a gay priest for a character and as sorta kinda tackled the issue.
Secrets lead to more secrets, and scandals. Is all this really necessary in 2017. Shouldn’t a Priest or Church Administrator be allowed to love whom they wish without fearing job security? Isn’t personal integrity and honesty more important than pointless hypocrisy with all the problems manifesting this world?
I know, I’m not Catholic, but after covering some of Project Truth and seeing some of the strange and mystical things I’ve seen since covering Cornwall; cases like this seem more bewildering each time they happen.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? You can of course post your comments below.