Charities: Late French priest Abbé Pierre accused of sexual abuse

By Marine Strauss

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The late French Catholic priest Abbe Pierre, who spent his life helping the homeless and poor, is accused of sexual abuse, the charities he founded said. They believed the allegations and were standing by the victims of abuse.

Seven women, including one who was a minor at the time, reported acts that could be interpreted as sexual assault or harassment, according to a report published on Wednesday by Emmaus International and the Fondation Abbe Pierre – the first report to make this case public.

The victims were reportedly employees, volunteers from some of their member organizations or young women from Abbé Pierre’s personal environment.

“Our organizations pay tribute to the courage of the people who have testified and who, through their words, have helped to bring these realities to light. We believe them, we know that these intolerable acts have left their mark and we stand with them,” Emmaus added.

The aid agencies commissioned the report after a woman reported a sexual assault a year ago to Emmaus International, the non-profit movement founded by Abbe Pierre in 1949. They asked the Egae Group, a company specializing in violence prevention, to conduct a consultation and analysis exercise.

“The Emmaus Movement is making public acts that can be compared to sexual assault or sexual harassment that were committed by Abbe Pierre between the late 1970s and 2005,” the NGO said in a statement on its website.

Henri-Antoine Groues, known as Abbe Pierre, was a Roman Catholic priest who gave up his wealth to work for the homeless and became one of France’s most revered men before his death in 2007 at the age of 94.

“These actions profoundly change our view of a man who is best known for his fight against poverty, misery and exclusion,” said Emmaus.

The nonprofit said it would continue to collect confidential witness statements and provide support to victims.

The French Bishops’ Conference said in a statement on its website: “It is deeply saddened by the reports of sexual assaults committed by Abbé Pierre against women who worked at Emmaus.”

The fifth child of a silk merchant, Abbe Pierre gave up his comfortable life to become a monk. He earned his nickname Abbe Pierre as a chaplain of the Resistance during World War II, when he forged identity cards to smuggle refugees out of France.

He began working on behalf of the homeless in 1949 and rose to fame in 1954 when he appeared on the radio to advocate for housing for thousands of people who were at risk of death during a bitter winter.

(Reporting by Marine Strauss, editing by Jean-Michel Belot and Philippa Fletcher)