French authorities denied Canada’s extradition request for Johannes Rivoire because France does not extradite its own nationals and too much time has passed since the alleged offence took place, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada said.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
France has refused a Canadian request to extradite Johannes Rivoire, a nonagenarian former Catholic priest accused of abusing children in Nunavut.
The Public Prosecution Service of Canada said on Wednesday that French authorities denied Canada’s extradition request because France does not extradite its own nationals and too much time has passed since the alleged offence took place.
Under an extradition agreement, Canada can transfer cases to French authorities for trial in French courts. But the only Canadian criminal charge against Mr. Rivoire stems from an alleged assault that took place between January, 1974, and December, 1979, putting the case beyond France’s statute of limitations.
“Heartbreaking to see this grave injustice continue,” said Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller in a tweet.
Mr. Rivoire worked as a priest in several northern communities for 32 years before allegations of sexual assault began surfacing in the early 1990s. He left for France in 1993, evading several sex-related charges later filed by the RCMP.
By 2017, the Public Prosecution Service determined there was no longer a reasonable prospect of conviction, and stayed the charges.
Pressure mounts to have accused priest Johannes Rivoire tried for sexual assault charges in Nunavut
Victims’ advocates refused to let the matter drop, however, and the Rivoire case came to symbolize a broader reluctance to pursue criminal charges against the church on behalf of Indigenous peoples.
Early this year, Nunavut RCMP issued a new charge against Mr. Rivoire, originating from an Inuk woman who says Mr. Rivoire began sexually abusing her when she was six years old. She told The Globe and Mail that she had approached the RCMP several times starting in 1983 only to be told her allegations lacked evidence.
The new charge has prompted renewed calls for Mr. Rivoire to be brought to Canada to face justice, including from the federal NDP and the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), the national voice of 60,000 Inuit.
Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed and others raised the issue during meetings with Pope Francis. Mr. Obed said he asked the Pope to tell Father Rivoire to return to Canada.
In late July, the government confirmed it had issued the extradition request.
In recent years, Mr. Rivoire has resided in a Lyon retirement home. Now in his 90s, he has staunchly denied the accusations against him to reporters and to a Inuit delegation that visited the country in September in an attempt to bring him back to Canada.
“All potential legal recourse to obtain Johannes Rivoire’s extradition from France or prosecution in France are exhausted,” said the prosecution service in a press release.
Prosecutors are working with the RCMP and Interpol towards issuing an international arrest request for Mr. Rivoire called a red notice.
“Therefore,” the release states, “prosecution in Canada remains possible if Johannes Rivoire leaves France.”