Prominent Vatican cardinal named in Canada sexual assault lawsuit -filing

FILE PHOTO: Cardinal Marc Ouellet of Canada walks through Saint Peter's Square as he leaves at the end of a meeting in the Synod Hall at the Vatican March 11, 2013. REUTERS/Tony Gentile

(Reuters) - Vatican Cardinal Marc Ouellet is the highest-ranking clergyman accused in a court document in Canada made public on Tuesday as part of a class action lawsuit against the Quebec Catholic diocese alleging sexual assault, the plaintiffs' lawyer said.

The lawsuit represents more than 100 people, including minors, who were alleged to have been sexually assaulted by 88 priests and staff working at the Quebec diocese starting in 1940, according to a court document and a news release issued by the Arsenault Dufresne Wee firm which filed the class action.