A Winnipeg man who claims two Catholic priests sexually abused him as a child is suing the Archdiocese of St. Boniface

WARNING: The following story contains distressing details about the sexual abuse of a child.

A man who claims two Catholic priests sexually abused him as a child three decades ago is suing the Archdiocese of St. Boniface.

The now 44-year-old Winnipeg man is suing the Archdiocese of St. Boniface, the Archbishop of St. Boniface and the Red River Valley School Division.

The man claims the abuse occurred in 1990 and 1991 when he was a student at St. Jean Baptiste Elementary School, then part of the Red River Valley School Division.

He attended the school from 1984 to 1992, according to the lawsuit filed May 15 in the Court of King’s Bench in Manitoba.

According to court documents, the man was also a member of St. Jean Baptiste Church, whose leadership fell under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of St. Boniface.

CBC News is not releasing the man’s name because the alleged assaults occurred when he was a minor. None of the allegations could be proven in court.

The lawsuit accuses two priests – Leo Couture and Rene Touchette – of sexual assault.

It notes that Touchette is deceased and names Couture as a defendant. However, Couture died at age 92, a few days before the court document was filed, according to an obituary on the Arbor Memorial website and an article by an international religious media outlet.

Both men were priests at St. Jean Baptise Church and had “unrestricted access to the students” at the school, the lawsuit says.

The plaintiff was “dependent on both men, took orders from them and was subject to them,” the court filing states.

The lawsuit says Touchette was involved in sexual assaults in Somerset, Man., and then was transferred by the archdiocese to St. Jean Baptiste Church. The man then claims that Touchette sexually abused him.

Touchette was removed from St. Jean Baptiste Elementary School and St. Jean Baptiste Church in 1990.

He was charged with sexual assault in connection with incidents in Somerset in 1992 and convicted in 1993, the lawsuit says. Touchette died in 2012 at age 71, according to an obituary in the Winnipeg Free Press.

There were attacks in the monastery: lawsuit

The plaintiff alleges that Touchette and Couture asked him several times since he was 10 or 11 to help with church duties during lunch and after school.

He claims that during this time the priests took him to a convent building next to St. Jean-Baptiste Elementary School and forced him to undress and try on different pants.

The priests exposed themselves, forced him to touch him sexually and “violently and forcefully” molested and seduced him, court documents said.

The attacks are said to have taken place half a dozen times in 1990 and 1991.

“As a result, plaintiff suffered physical injuries, significant emotional and psychological pain, and trauma and psychological distress,” the lawsuit states.

The man claims the archdiocese knew or should have known what was going on and that it, like the school department, failed to ensure his safety or investigate reports against clergy.

The lawsuit suggests that Touchette was moved “from one church to another” and that there were complaints from other victims. Complaints were also received against Couture, the lawsuit says.

Since then, the plaintiff has had difficulty holding down a job and completing training, the lawsuit says, causing him to struggle to make ends meet.

The man is seeking unspecified damages for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, humiliation, loss of dignity, sleep disturbance, emotional distress and impact on family and social relationships.

No response had been filed as of Friday morning. CBC News also sought a response from the superintendent of the Red River School Division and the Archdiocese of St. Boniface on Friday morning, but did not receive a response before publication.

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually abused. This gives you access to crisis hotlines and local support services Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you are in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.