Catholic priest accused of sexual abuse of boy in rural Manitoba in late 1980s

CBC - March 18, 2026

Winnipeg, MB - A now-dead Catholic priest is accused of repeated sexual abuse of a boy in a rural Manitoba community in a lawsuit filed in the Court of King's Bench in Winnipeg.

A statement of claim was filed March 6 against the estate of Father Eugene Verhulst and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg.

The 47-year-old plaintiff alleges in the statement of claim that he endured inappropriate touching by Verhulst and was made to perform oral and anal sex from approximately age 10 to 12.

The archdiocese failed to act and protect the boy when it knew or ought to have known or was willfully blind to the abuse, the claim says, making the archdiocese vicariously liable for the abuse.

The man, who now lives in B.C., is seeking general damages, special damages, punitive damages, aggravated damages, exemplary damages and damages for breach of fiduciary duty.