The French Catholic priest Abbé Pierre, who died in 2007 and recognized for his action in favor of the most disadvantaged, was accused by several women of sexual assault, three organizations that continue his work announced today.
Icon of the fight against social exclusion, co-founder of the Emmaus movement and member of the Resistance during the Second World War, Abbé Pierre (1912-2007), whose real name was Henri Grouès, was for a long time the favorite personality of the French.
The organizations Emmaus International, Emmaus France and the Abbé Pierre Foundation explained that, following "a report of a sexual assault committed by Abbé Pierre against a woman", internal work was carried out by Egaé, a company specializing in the prevention of violence, which gave rise to the independent report commissioned by the associations.
"This work made it possible to collect the testimonies of seven women who report behavior comparable to sexual assaults or sexual harassment committed by Abbé Pierre between the end of the 70s and 2005", add the three organizations, adding that one of the witnesses "was a minor at the time of the first incidents".
In a press release published by the Catholic daily newspaper La Croix, the organizations hailed "the courage of the people who witnessed and made it possible, through their words, to bring these realities to light", and recognized "that these intolerable acts have left their mark". .
"These revelations are shaking our structures. These actions are profoundly changing the way we look at a man known above all for his fight against poverty, misery and exclusion", added the organizations.
Furthermore, they mentioned that a "strictly confidential" system was created to collect testimonies and support people who were victims or witnessed unacceptable behavior on the part of the French priest.
According to an internal source at Emmaus, to date no legal action has been taken.
After the revelation, the Catholic Church in France published a message on the social network measures to make the Church a safe home".
"Abbé Pierre had a remarkable impact on our country and around the world," wrote the French Catholic Church, adding that the priest "raised awareness of everyone's responsibility towards people in precarious situations" and renewed the way " Society looks at the poorest."
The Catholic Church also stressed that "its position cannot, however, dispense with the necessary real work, which Emmaus has just carried out with clarity and courage, listening to the complainants and carrying out this investigation, the report of which has just been published", and which the French Episcopal Conference will analyze.
