Allegations of child sexual abuse made in Manitoba against two ‘credibly accused’ Jesuit priests

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This article was published 15/03/2023 (907 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two priests were included on a list of clerics “credibly accused” of sexually abusing children based on allegations stemming from their time in Manitoba, according to the Jesuits of Canada.

Rev. John Pungente was accused of a single incident of “inappropriate behaviour” at St. Paul’s High School in 1971, when he was a teacher, said José Sánchez, a spokesman for the Jesuits.

Pungente later became principal of the Grant Avenue school.

The allegation was reported to the Jesuits, a religious order of the Catholic Church, in the fall of 2020, said Sánchez.

Rev. Robert MacDougall was accused of “inappropriate relationships” with minors between 1973 and 1975, while he was a pastor in Winnipeg, said Sánchez.

“As an organization, our primary concern has been the privacy and well-being of victims-survivors and their families,” Sánchez wrote in an email. “Many of the survivors have expressed a desire to keep the circumstances of their experiences private, and we are deeply committed to respecting their wishes.”

St. Paul’s has encouraged people who were abused to notify the appropriate law enforcement in the location where the incident or incidents occurred.

Pungente and MacDougall were among 27 men named Monday on a list of “credibly accused” priests or brothers by the Jesuits of Canada.

The list is based on a review of thousands of documents dating back to the 1950s.

The Free Press has not independently verified the allegations.

The Jesuits of Canada defines “credibly accused” as an allegation where it appears “more likely than not” an offence occurred based on information from witnesses, parishioners, civil authorities or clergy, even if there were no criminal charges or civil cases.

Sánchez said the Montreal-based Jesuits of Canada has received “numerous” tips, reports and inquiries from victims and their families and friends since the list was published in the name of transparency and accountability.

St. Paul’s confirmed Pungente was a teacher at the private school from 1964-67 and 1971-76. He was principal from 1976-1983.

Pungente, one of only three men on the list who is still alive, is on a safety plan with the Jesuits, given the allegation. Plans prohibit interaction with young people, according to the organization.

Pungente, who turns 84 this year, could not be reached for comment. His Toronto phone number is out of service. Emails were not returned.

In 1971, MacDougall was listed as a chaplain at St. Paul’s College, which has no record of him being on campus in any formal position, said Sánchez. He was also chaplain at Stony Mountain Institution from 1970-74, the Jesuits confirmed.

It is believed MacDougall may have lived at the Jesuits’ on-campus residence at the University of Manitoba, said Sánchez.

The U of M said no one on the list was employed by the current St. Paul’s College, which moved to the Fort Garry campus after splitting from the high school in the late 1950s.

MacDougall was assigned to St. Ignatius Parish in Winnipeg in 1975, according to an obituary published in the Free Press.

He later worked on the Toronto-based television shows 100 Huntley Street and Food For Life.

MacDougall was 81 when he died in Pickering, Ont., in 2004, according to the obituary.

Seven other priests or brothers who spent time in Manitoba were also named by the Jesuits.

They include George Topp, who taught at St. Paul’s from 1968-1974, and two teachers — John Lepine and Wilfred Harris — who worked at the high school in the 1940s, when it was located at Ellice Avenue and Vaughan Street.

The credible allegations against all seven, who have since died, relate to pastoral assignments outside Manitoba, the Jesuits said.

Only one matter on the list — involving a priest who didn’t have assignments in Manitoba — resulted in criminal charges or conviction, said Sánchez.

Prof. Neil McArthur, director of the centre for professional and applied ethics at the U of M, said the release of lists by religious orders or dioceses may raise concerns, given there hasn’t been due process for most of those named.

Organizations should have transparent procedures and processes to deal with abuse allegations promptly, “rather than obfuscating for decades and releasing names,” he said.

“I suspect what (survivors) would want is real accountability of the individuals and the Church,” said McArthur.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching

CREDIBLY ACCUSED