In a press release issued on Wednesday, the organizations revealed that the alleged acts, documented in an investigation report by a firm of experts, took place “between the end of the 1970s and 2005”, specifying that one of the victims was a minor at the time of the first incidents

Seven women have testified to inappropriate gestures, some qualified as sexual assaults, committed against them by the founder of the Emmaüs movement, according to the newspaper La Croix, which revealed the testimonies.

Shocking accusations within Emmaus

An eight-page revelation has sent shockwaves through the Emmaus movement. The newspaper La Croix reports that Abbé Pierre, founder of the organization and emblematic figure in the fight against inadequate housing, has been accused by seven women of inappropriate gestures between 1970 and 2005. According to a report published by Emmaüs and the Abbé Pierre Foundation, some of these actions could be classified by the courts as sexual assaults, while others were sexist comments and solicitations.

A first testimony

In June 2023, the first woman contacted Emmaus France, claiming to have been sexually assaulted by Abbé Pierre in the late 70s and early 80s. At the time, her parents were friends of the churchman. When she was a minor, she recounts how Abbé Pierre, 50 years her senior, repeatedly touched her breast while he was a guest in the family home.

Multiple assaults and a request for forgiveness

The woman also recounts another sexual assault that occurred when she was of age. On her return from a trip to Italy, Abbé Pierre allegedly “introduced his tongue into [her] mouth in a brutal and totally unexpected manner”. Other sexual proposals were made to her by the Emmaüs founder. She testifies that in 2003, four years before his death, Abbé Pierre asked her forgiveness in the presence of her father.

Forced contact and damning testimony

After an initial poignant testimony, Emmaüs International, Emmaüs France and the Abbé Pierre Foundation commissioned Egaé, a firm specializing in sexist and sexual violence, to conduct an independent investigation. Three months later, the results of this investigation are in: twelve interviews were conducted, revealing that seven women had been victims of inappropriate behavior on the part of Abbé Pierre, France’s favorite personality on 16 occasions. One of the victims even spoke of severe psychological repercussions.

The report highlights a pattern of assaults perpetrated out of sight, often in hotel rooms or offices. One woman recalls being touched on the chest in a hotel room, while others describe similar gestures and explicit letters about the churchman’s intentions. The earliest events date back to 1970, and the most recent to 2005, when Abbé Pierre was 92.

New testimonies to come

The investigation by the Egaé firm, headed by Caroline De Haas, also revealed that one woman was aware of other incidents in the 1950s. The report mentions that four other potential victims have been identified but have not yet been heard from, either by choice or coercion.

Abbé Pierre himself admitted to deviations from his vow of chastity. “I have experienced sexual desire and its very rare satisfaction”, he declared in a book of interviews with Frédéric Lenoir in 2005. During his appearance on the TV show “On ne peut pas plaire à tout le monde”, he spoke of “weaknesses” and “fleeting incidents”. He underlined the difficulty of maintaining certain extreme positions of religious commitment.

The Egaé firm noted that “many people were informed that Abbé Pierre behaved inappropriately towards women, without fully realizing the extent of the violence committed”. Emmaüs, following the example of the Church in its fight against sexual violence, has set up a hotline on 01.89.96.01.53 and an email to emmaus@groupe-egae.fr to gather further testimonies. “The report concludes: “The expertise of the Egaé group leads us to believe that there are probably other people involved, in proportions that are difficult to estimate.