Emmaus founder Abbé Pierre accused of sexual assault

By Lisa Zengarini and Marie Duhamel

He is one of the most popular and iconic figures of the Church in France, known for his commitment to the French Resistance, for protecting Jews during World War II, and for his lifelong advocacy for the homeless and the destitute.

A report released on Wednesday by the Emmaus community, the now-international organization he founded 1949 in France to support the poorest and most vulnerable, has tarnished this image, revealing that Abbé Pierre committed acts amounting to sexual assault or sexual harassment.

A year-long investigation

The report is the result of an investigation the Catholic foundation entrusted in 2023 to an expert firm that specializes in abuse prevention, after a woman reported a sexual assault by the late priest and humanitarian activist.

The investigation conducted by the Groupe Egaé firm, collected several testimonies and found at least seven victims -- including one who was a minor at the time -- between 1970 and 2005, two years before his death in 2007.

At least seven alleged victims of sexual misconduct

The women reported unsolicited kissing and touching, as well as inappropriate sexual comments and propositions.  

Most of the women reporting unwanted contact or sexual propositions were employees or volunteers at Emmaus. According to the testimonies, Abbé Pierre’s inappropriate behaviour was widely known.

The Egaé firm said it believes that there are other victims, going back to the 50s and 60s, but the time elapsed since the alleged facts and the death of Abbé Pierre 17 ago makes it difficult to access to the testimonies and doesn’t allow cross-examination. Some of the victims have died, some could not be contacted and others declined to be interviewed.

Victims' courage praised

In a statement Emmaus praised the courage of the people who testified, making it possible to bring “these intolerable acts” to light.

It said it believes the alleged victims and expressed its closeness to them. The foundation affirmed that it is determined to combat all forms of abuse and  to denounce “the unacceptable acts committed by a person who played a major role in history”, both for the victims and the people who have supported the movement’s activity  for over 70 years. “We share their pain and their anger, but also their determination to continue working, every day, to build a fairer and more united world,” said the statement.

Bishops of France deeply pained by the case

The bishops of France have also expressed their pain at the case of the Abbé Pierre and in a press release assured the victims of their “deep compassion and shame” that such acts could be committed by a priest, reiterating their determination to ensure that the Church is “a safe place.”

“Abbé Pierre had a remarkable impact in our country and in the world. He raised awareness abot the  the responsibility we all have towards vulnerable people, and changed the way our society views the poorest,” the bishops said. “But his position cannot exempt us from the necessary work of truth, which Emmaus has just carried out with clarity and courage.”

The latest in a series of cases in France

The allegations against Abbé Pierre are the latest in a series of cases of Catholic spiritual charismatic leaders accused of abusing their power and authority to take sexual advantage of the women under their spiritual sway.

France has recently had to contend with revelations about another beloved 20th century Catholic figure, Jean Vanier, who founded the L’Arche federation in the 1960s to care for people with intellectual disabilities. Recently, L’Arche commissioned investigations that found the late Vanier perverted Catholic doctrine about Jesus and Mary to justify his abuse of women.

Prior to that were revelations of serial sexual abuse of adults in religious communities founded by two French brothers, the Rev. Thomas Philippe and Rev. Marie-Dominique Philippe, called L’Eau Vive and Community of Saint Jean, respectively. Thomas Philippe was a spiritual father to Vanier and allegedly initiated Vanier into his mystical-sexual practices at L’Eau Vive.

The 2021 CIASE report

In 2021, an independent commission on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church (CIASE) estimated that some 330,000 children were sexually abused over 70 years by priests or other Church-related figures in France.