Jesuits Footing the Bill For Sexual Abuse Investigation Against Father Lajoie
Written by Paul Graif on 3 November 2021
The Jesuits of Canada have hired an independent investigator to examine allegations of sexual abuse against the late Father Leon Lajoie in Kahnawake. He was a long-time pastor for the St. Francis Xavier Mission. The Jesuits are footing 100 percent of the bill to engage the King International Advisory Group. They are an investigation, intelligence, and enterprise risk management consulting agency.
“It’s part of our policies and regulations that when an accusation is made an independent investigation has to be undertaken,” said Father Gilles Mongeau, the assistant to the Provincial of the Jesuits of Canada. “King Advisory Group is excellent investigative firm that is impartial and does excellent work. We’ve used them before in other situations.”
Mongeau says the Jesuits are prepared to exhume the body of Father Lajoie. He is buried outside of the church.
“Our commitment from the beginning has been to cooperate with both the band council and the church committee,” Mongeau said. “We’ve been prepared from the beginning to exhume the body of father Lajoie at our own expense with proper respect and to repatriate his body. But we are not able to act without the decisions of MCK and the church committee. We don’t want to unilaterally impose anything. that would just be repeating the mistakes and the hurt, the sins of history.”
Community members can contact the investigators to share their concerns, stories and feedback by calling Brian King at (416) 628-6877 extension 222, or emailing [email protected]
Lajoie retired in the mid-1990’s and passed away in 1999.
