Press Release: RC Archbishop and Westminster Abbey Settle
Bernadette Howell Blog - May 28, 2024
Vancouver, BC -- In advance of a seven-week trial scheduled to commence June 3, 2024, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Vancouver, Westminster Abbey, and Seminary of Christ the King have settled with the plaintiff, anonymized as D.H. D.H. was raped at age 13 by Fr. Placidus aka Harold Vincent Sander, a Benedictine priest, when he was a grade eight boarding student at the Seminary of Christ the King (“SCK”) in 1977-1978. SCK still operates today: it is the last remaining Minor Seminary in Canada and has been operated by Benedictine monks since 1939.
Winnipeg Free Press - June 17, 2025 Winnipeg, MB - A Winnipeg man is suing the Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg, alleging he was repeatedly sexually abused by two priests from ages 5 to 13 in the 1960s and ’70s. The lawsuit claims over 100 assaults by Jesuit priests Harold J. Bedford and Robert L. MacDougall, both now deceased, and accuses the church of failing to protect him. He says he was silenced when he reported the abuse and witnessed other family members being assaulted. The Archdiocese has not yet responded, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
CTV News - June 16, 2025 Saskatoon, SK - A Saskatoon priest found guilty of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl will have to wait to know his fate after a judge reserved her sentencing decision for another date at Saskatoon Provincial Court Monday. The court heard sentencing arguments and victim impact statements after Ukrainian Catholic priest Janko Kolosnjaji was found guilty in February.