The acts denounced were committed “between the end of the 1970s and 2005. One of them was a minor at the time of the first acts”, the organizations wrote in a press release on Wednesday, based on an investigation report written by a firm of experts.
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Abbé Pierre has been accused of sexual violence by several women, the Abbé-Pierre Foundation, Emmaüs International and Emmaüs France announced on Wednesday, July 17. The acts reported were committed “between the end of the 1970s and 2005. One of them was a minor at the time of the first events”these organizations write in a press release.
Emmaüs France says it has commissioned a firm of experts following a report in 2023. In its investigation report (PDF) published in July 2024, this firm mentions in total “7 people reporting violence suffered by women at the hands of Abbé Pierre”. Moreover, “at least four additional people have been identified as having suffered acts of violence without it being possible to hear them at this stage”.
“Our organizations salute the courage of the people who have testified and enabled, through their words, to bring these realities to light, we believe them,” write the three organizations in a joint statement. Abbé Pierre, whose real name was Henri Grouès, died in 2007.
The Conference of Bishops of France “learns with pain the testimonies collected”, wrote the Catholic Church of France on X (formerly Twitter). She “wishes to assure the victims of his deep compassion and shame that such acts could be committed by a priest, and reiterates his determination to mobilize to make the Church a safe house”.
If “Abbé Pierre had a remarkable impact in our country and in the world”, “his position cannot exempt him from the necessary work of truth, which Emmaüs has just carried out with clarity and courage”the Church emphasizes.
