Priest accused of sexually assaulting Nunavut children dies
A priest accused of sexually abusing Inuit children in Nunavut decades ago has died in France after a long, undisclosed illness.
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate, including the Oblates of Lacombe Canada and the Oblate Province of France, said Joannes Rivoire died Thursday. He was in his 90s.
Rev. Ken Thorson with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Lacombe Canada said the death may be difficult news for those who advocated for the priest to face justice in Canada.
“We sincerely regret that Rivoire never made himself available and will never face the charges that were laid against him. We further regret that efforts for him to be formally removed as a priest were unsuccessful,” he wrote in an email on Friday.
A recent independent review of the claims against Rivoire supported allegations that the priest assaulted six children in Nunavut.
Rivoire arrived in Canada in 1959. He stayed in the North until January 1993, when he told superiors he needed to return to France to take care of his elderly parents. That month, four people went to the RCMP in Nunavut to accuse Rivoire of sexual assaults.
Rivoire refused to return to Canada after an arrest warrant was issued in 1998. He faced at least three charges of sexual abuse in the Nunavut communities of Arviat, Rankin Inlet and Naujaat. More than two decades later, the charges were stayed.
Another arrest warrant was issued for Rivoire in 2022 for a charge of indecent assault involving a girl in Arviat and Whale Cove between 1974 and 1979. French authorities refused an extradition request. Rivoire denied all allegations against him and none were proven in court.
Inuit leaders and politicians, from senators to Nunavut premiers, spent years urging that the priest should face trial, with some taking their fight to Parliament Hill and Lyon, France, where Rivoire lived.
Piita Irniq, an Inuk elder and former politician who fought for more than a decade to have Rivoire returned to Canada, said he was notified Friday morning of Rivoire’s death.
“Rivoire left a legacy of intimidation, fear and horror to his victims. His victims will now begin healing from his death.”
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, a national organization representing Inuit across Canada, called the case a systemic failure of nation states and religious institutions. Natan Obed, the organization’s president, met Pope Francis in 2022 and asked him to intervene in the case.
The group said in a statement that Inuit have done everything to help bring justice, but in the end it was not enough.
“Our thoughts are with the many victims and the many victims of abusers who continue to elude justice,” it said.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., a group that represents Nunavut Inuit, said it’s disappointing Rivoire didn’t have to answer to the charges against him. “Governments must do better to support victims of abuse and in bringing perpetrators of violence against children to justice,” it said.
Rivoire was banned from public ministry after the Oblates said they first learned of criminal proceedings against him. The Oblates in both Canada and France repeatedly urged Rivoire to face the charges, but he refused.