Halifax Catholic Priest Sex Abuse Class Action Lawsuit Moves Forward

A class action lawsuit alleging Halifax Catholic priests engaged in decades of sexual abuse has reportedly been certified by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

The Halifax Catholic priest sex abuse class action lawsuit alleged that the abuse started as early as the 1960s in the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Halifax-Yarmouth. In addition to suffering abuse, survivors were also allegedly subject to a policy of secrecy by the Archdiocese.

Catholic Priests Accused of Decades of Sexual Abuse

The lead plaintiff, a survivor of sexual abuse by a priest at the Halifax-Yarmouth Archdiocese, filed the class action lawsuit Canada on behalf of other abuse victims. The lawyer representing the plaintiff says that several priests in the Archdiocese have been convicted of criminal charges for sexually abusing children.

The lead plaintiff alleges that he was sexually abused by Father George Epoch. According to the complaint, Epoch was a “notorious sexual abuser.” He allegedly abused the plaintiff at the Canadian Martyrs Church located in Halifax while working as a priest.

According to the plaintiff, Epoch began sexually abusing him in 1960 when he was an altar server. The plaintiff says that the abuse even took place in the residence where other priests lived. He says that the other priests were aware, but “did not lift a finger to prevent the abuse.”

The Halifax Catholic priest sex abuse class action lawsuit alleges that the abuse continued until Epoch was transferred. Even then, the priest allegedly sent the plaintiff love letters over the years. The plaintiff says that he struggled at school and suffered psychological injuries because of the abuse.

Archdiocese Sends Sex Abusers Back

The Halifax Catholic priest sex abuse class action lawsuit claims that the Archdiocese sent clergy who were accused of sex abuse back to different parishes with no warning about the abuse. According to the complaint, priests who were accused of abuse were sent to a treatment facility in Ontario. Then they were allegedly sent back to unsuspecting parishioners under the Archdiocese’s policy of secrecy regarding sex abuse claims.

“Halifax-Yarmouth received complaints about the priests sexually assaulting and battering the Class members and failed to investigate or reprimand the priests as a result of those complaints,” states the class action lawsuit. “Instead of investigating or reprimanding the priests, the defendant sent them to the Southdown Institute for treatment and then returned them to parishes where they continued to harm Class members”

Policy of Secrecy Let Abusers Have Access to Children

According to the complaint, in 1962 the Pope at the time enacted a strict policy of secrecy concerning allegations of sexual abuse against a priest. The consequence of violating the policy was allegedly ex-communication.

The Halifax Catholic priest sex abuse class action lawsuit alleges that the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Halifax-Yarmouth knew that its priests had been accused of the sexual abuse of children; however, they “engaged in a pattern of systemic cover up” of the claims.

“Childhood sexual abuse is a crime that can have lasting and debilitating effects on it’s victims,” says the lawyer representing Class Members. “Predators use their influence and positions of power to gain access to, and abuse, vulnerable children. The claim alleges the Archdiocese of Halifax was aware of sexual abuse by many of it’s priests and failed to take steps to protect children within the Archdiocese.”

Canada’s Catholic Churches Face Sex Abuse Allegations

CBC News reported in 2018 that the Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth acknowledged that child sexual abuse had been a problem in the Archdiocese for decades.

“I can’t talk about what’s happening in Pennsylvania or talk about what’s happening in Chile or what’s happening in Australia, but it’s been happening in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the last 40, 50 years. So we’re not immune to this stuff,” the Archbishop told CBC News reporters.

Indeed, class action lawsuits over the Roman Catholic Church’s policies toward clergy accused of sexual abuse have been launched all across Canada.

The Diocese of Quebec faces a class action lawsuit alleging thousands of potential sex abuse victims. The lead plaintiffs claim that they were sexually abused as minors by Catholic priests decades ago.

Another class action lawsuit Canada claims that children and teens endured decades of abuse at the hands of the Christian Brothers of Ireland in the Cashel Orphanage in St. John’s.

Survivors of Halifax Catholic priest sex abuse are encouraged to contact the lawyers representing Class Members. Class Members include those who “were sexually assaulted or battered by a priest of the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Halifax-Yarmouth or its predecessor dioceses between 1960 and the present.”

Were you or a loved one affected by Halifax Catholic priest sex abuse? What do you think about these class action lawsuit allegations? Tell us in the comment section below.

The lead plaintiffs and Class Members are represented by John A. McKiggan QC of McKiggan Herbert and Kirk M. Baert, Celeste Poltak, and Garth Myers of Koskie Minsky LLP.

The Halifax Catholic Priest Sex Abuse Class Action Lawsuit is Douglas Champagne v. The Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Halifax-Yarmouth, Case No. 479060, in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Canada.

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