A former Pembroke-area priest learned at his first court appearance that he faces more than a dozen new sexual assault charges stemming from incidents with six new alleged victims, two who resided in Ottawa.

Monsignor Bernard Prince, 71, returned to Canada to face accusations that he sexually assaulted a 12-year-old altar boy at Prince's cabin in Wilno, Ont., in the late 1960s.

Monsignor Bernard Prince (Ottawa Citizen)

Border agents arrested Prince Tuesday night when he arrived at Montreal's Trudeau Airport from Italy, where he had been living for more than a decade.

The victim, now in his late 40s, came forward with the accusations last May. Police charged Prince in October with buggery and indecent assault.

During the course of the investigation, six other men came forward with accusations.

Prince now faces a total of 16 charges, including two charges of buggery, six charges of indecent assault and seven charges of gross indecency. All victims were young boys.

Prince and his lawyer learned of the additional charges for the first time at his bail hearing Thursday at a Pembroke court.

Prince reportedly worked as a priest at parishes in Arnprior and Pembroke, and later took a post at the Apostolic Nunciature in Ottawa.

He left for the Vatican in 1991 when he was appointed secretary general of the Pontifical Work for the Propagation of Faith at the Vatican. He retired two years ago, but remained in Rome until Tuesday when he returned on a flight to Montreal to face sexual assault charges.

Police say since making the charges public in early February, more people have come forward with complaints that the police are in the process of investigating.

Rev. Peter Proulx, who has been the priest of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Renfrew for 30 years, says his church is co-operating with the investigation, and trying to help members of the community cope.

"It's a very difficult time for everyone involved," said Proulx. "It's a very saddening time for a lot of people. Our primary responsibility is to be co-operative with the investigation, so that the truth will be told."