Despite efforts from the Inuit community and authorities in Canada, the French priest Joannes Rivoire, who was accused of sexually abusing Inuit children during his time in the Canadian Arctic, has passed away at the age of 90. Rivoire had been living in a care home in Lyon, France for many years and never faced the charges that were laid against him in Canada. He had ministered to Inuit communities until the 1990s when he returned to France, citing the need to care for his elderly parents. There were multiple accusations of sexual assaults against him, but no charges were pursued, and French authorities refused an extradition request in 2022.
The Oblates of Lacombe Canada and the Oblate Province of France expressed regret over Rivoire’s death and the fact that he never faced justice for the allegations made against him. Despite repeated efforts to persuade him to return to Canada and face the charges, Rivoire consistently denied any wrongdoing. An arrest warrant was issued for him in 1998 for at least three charges of sexual abuse, and another warrant was issued in 2022 for one charge of indecent assault. However, Rivoire denied all allegations, and none were proven in court. The Inuit community had long sought the Vatican’s assistance in extraditing Rivoire back to Canada to face justice.
In September 2022, a 10-member Inuit delegation traveled to Lyon in hopes of convincing Rivoire to return with them to Canada, but he refused. Rev. Ken Thorson of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Lacombe Canada stated that Rivoire’s death may be difficult news for those who advocated for him to face justice in Canada. Efforts to have him formally removed as a priest were also unsuccessful. Rivoire had arrived in Canada in 1959 and lived in the North until 1993 when the accusations of sexual assaults came to light.
The Inuit community, along with authorities in Canada, had been pushing for Rivoire to be held accountable for his actions, but the legal process was unable to bring him to justice. The allegations of sexual abuse by the French priest had deeply impacted the Inuit children whom he had ministered to in the Canadian Arctic. With Rivoire’s passing, the opportunity for closure and justice for the victims may have been lost. The Oblates in Canada and France had been vocal in their stance that Rivoire should face the charges laid against him, but ultimately, he was able to avoid accountability until his death.
