Vatican shelves assault probe into Canadian cardinal claims

ROME (AP) — The Vatican says a preliminary church investigation into sexual assault allegations by a Canadian woman against a top cardinal has determined the case doesn’t warrant further investigation.Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni issued a statement responding to reports this week that Cardinal Marc Ouellet was one of several people named in a class-action lawsuit against the archdiocese of Quebec alleging several priests of sexual abuse or assault.Ouellet headed the Quebec archdiocese from 2002-2010, when he became the powerful prefect of the Vatican’s bishops’ office. In that job, he actually oversees all the church’s investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct against adults involving bishops or cardinals.