Embattled Vatican envoy Luigi Ventura, already accused of molesting an official in Paris, faces new sex assault claim in Canada
- The 74-year-old Italian archbishop served as the envoy to Canada from 2001 to 2009
Vatican diplomat Luigi Ventura – who is already under investigation in France over alleged sexual assault – is now facing a similar complaint in Canada, the Holy See’s embassy in Ottawa said Thursday.
Luigi Ventura, currently the Vatican’s envoy to France, has been accused of molesting an official at the Paris mayor’s office.
The 74-year-old Italian archbishop served as the envoy to Canada from 2001 to 2009. He now faces a “single” complaint filed in Ottawa, the embassy told AFP, adding that the complaint has been reported to officials in Vatican City.
According to the Canadian website Presence, which specialises in religious news and first reported on the complaint, Ventura allegedly groped a man in 2008 at the shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre in Quebec province.
The alleged victim, then 32, was helping to serve Ventura during a banquet for the Feast of Sainte Anne. The man said that Ventura touched his buttocks at least twice, according to Presence.