Johannes Rivoire, 93, is charged with sexual assault related to his work in northern parishes for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
A group of Canadian Inuit will travel to France next week to press the Macron government to extradite a retired Roman Catholic priest who faces sexual abuse allegations from his time in Canada’s north.
The trip follows Pope Francis’ July visit to Canada to apologize for the church’s role in abusing Indigenous children at government residential schools. Several Inuit asked Francis to use his influence to return the accused priest.
Johannes Rivoire, 93, is charged with sexual assault related to his work in northern parishes for the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Canadian police laid the charge against Rivoire, who lives at an Oblates retirement home in Lyon, France, in February.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc (NTI), an Inuit organization, is organizing the Sept. 12-15 trip, which will include its President Aluki Kotierk.
Tanya Tungilik, whose late father Marius Tungilik said he was sexually abused by Father Rivoire and other clergy as a boy in what is now the northern territory of Nunavut, will join the delegation.
She said she has written to French President Emmanuel Macron and other government officials requesting meetings. The group also hopes to speak with Rivoire in Lyon.
“It means a lot for me and my family to get closure,” Ms. Tungilik said in an interview. “He ruined our family.”
APTN News reported in July that Father Rivoire told the news organization he would not return to Canada.
Canada has asked France to extradite Father Rivoire, who has French and Canadian citizenship. The countries’ extradition treaty states that neither country is bound to extradite its own nationals.
Spokespersons for France’s prime minister and justice ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Police laid three sex-related charges against Father Rivoire in 1998, but by then he had left for France. Canada’s Justice Department dropped those charges in 2017 concluding there was little chance of conviction given his departure.
Father Vincent Gruber, who leads France’s Oblates, did not respond to a request for comment. Father Gruber has previously said the Oblates want Father Rivoire to deal with the charges.
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