The Archdiocese of St. Boniface has denied a man’s claims he was sexually abused by one of its priests in rural Manitoba decades ago.

The man, who’s in his late 60s, claimed in a lawsuit filed in the Court of King’s Bench earlier this year that he was sexually abused by now-deceased Catholic priest Rene Touchette in the village of Somerset, about 150 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

In a statement of defence filed in late July, the archdiocese argued the lawsuit should be tossed out — and that the man has provided no proof of the alleged abuse.

“The archdiocese denies that the plaintiff was subjected to any sexually inappropriate contact from Fr. Touchette,” reads the court filing.

Touchette, who died at the age of 71 in 2012, was convicted in 1993 of sex crimes committed while he was

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