Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who has been embroiled in allegations of misconduct stemming from his time as archbishop of Quebec, is retiring, the Vatican announced Monday.
Ouellet was the head of the Vatican’s powerful bishops’ office.
The Vatican said Pope Francis accepted Ouellet’s resignation, due to him having reached the age limit. Ouellet is 78, which is three years past the normal retirement age for bishops.
Allegations concerning Ouellet first surfaced last summer in a class-action lawsuit against the archdiocese of Quebec, and on January 12 one of the complainants revealed her identity and accused the Catholic Church of trying to silence her through “threats and intimidation.”
Earlier this month, Ouellet denied allegations of sexual misconduct made against him by a woman in 2020.
On January 20, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Quebec City confirmed that it had received a second complaint against Ouellet, the former archbishop of the city.
A Vatican investigation was conducted in the wake of the second complaint against Ouellet, but Pope Francis decided “not to retain the accusation against the cardinal.”
In a written statement sent to media on January 21, Ouellet confirmed his participation in the investigation and said he has “nothing to hide,” and said he acted with “complete transparency” during the entire process.
