These new testimonies come on top of the first revelations concerning Abbé Pierre, made public seven weeks ago

New revelations about Abbé Pierre: A shock for the organisations concerned

Seven weeks after the first revelations, a new report by the specialist firm Egaé, relayed by the Fondation Abbé-Pierre, reveals seventeen new testimonies accusing Abbé Pierre of sexual violence committed between 1950 and 2000. These accusations concern serious acts committed against both minors and adults. Against this backdrop, the Fondation Abbé-Pierre has also announced that it is changing its name, marking a symbolic break with the past.

Following the initial accusations, ‘the Emmaus movement set up a hotline managed by the Egaé group. This system has made it possible to gather numerous accounts of Abbé Pierre’s actions’, says the foundation. Seventeen of these accounts are summarised in a report that mentions sexual violence of various kinds, including ‘unsolicited touching of the breasts’, ‘forced kissing’, ‘forced fellatio’, as well as ‘repeated acts of sexual penetration’ and ‘sexual contact with a child’. The events reported took place in France, but also in the United States, Morocco and Switzerland.

Most of the victims were Emmaüs volunteers, employees of places where Abbé Pierre had stayed, members of families close to him, or people he had met at public events.

A shockwave for France and a closed memorial site

The first revelations, which came to light on 17 July, shook French society, as Abbé Pierre was seen as an emblematic figure in the fight against poverty and poor housing. Faced with these new accusations, the Fondation Abbé-Pierre reaffirmed its unconditional support for the victims and decided to change its name.

For its part, Emmaüs has announced the definitive closure of the memorial site dedicated to Abbé Pierre in Esteville, Seine-Maritime, where he is buried. This decision symbolises a major turning point for the organisation.

At the same time, a commission of independent experts will be set up to ‘understand and explain the dysfunctions that enabled Abbé Pierre to act in this way for over fifty years’, as stated in a joint press release from the organisations concerned.