Supreme Court declines Diocese of London appeal
The Chatham Voice--February 11, 2021
A ruling by the lower courts of Ontario allowing a survivor of sexual assault to reopen her case against the Diocese of London stands after the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the case. The Supreme Court of Canada, by convention, gave no reason for declining to intervene in the case.
The decision ends one more chapter in the legal battle between Irene Deschenes and the Roman Catholic Diocese of London. Between 1971 and 1973, Deschenes was sexually abused by Father Charles Sylvestre at St. Ursula School in Chatham. She was 10 years old at the time.
Bishop Accountability - May 30, 2025 Winnipeg, MB - In May 2025, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation published a list of over 100 Oblate priests and brothers who worked in Canadian residential schools. The list aims to support transparency, accountability, and healing for Indigenous communities. These schools, many run by the Oblates, were part of a system that forcibly assimilated Indigenous children and led to widespread abuse. The release helps centralize scattered records and acknowledges the Church’s role in this dark chapter of Canadian history.
The Eastern Graphic - May 28, 2025 Georgetown, ON - A retired Catholic priest appeared in Georgetown Provincial Court on Thursday facing three sex-related charges stemming from the late 1980s against a minor. The 79-year-old man is charged with sexual touching of a person under 14 and sexual assault. He was also charged under Section 159 of the Criminal Code, which prohibited anal intercourse except between a husband and wife or people over the age of 18. That section has since been repealed but was in effect at the time.