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Abbé Pierre accused of sexual violence: was the Church aware?
Abbé Pierre accused of sexual violence: was the Church aware?
(Franceinfo)
The new testimonies against Abbé Pierre further tarnish the image of the clergyman. Was the Church aware of his actions?
Was the Church aware of Abbé Pierre’s actions? Yes, according to documents published by the investigation unit of Radio France, which is based on numerous archives. During a trip to the United States in 1955, an American student witnessed multiple inappropriate gestures. Accusations that Abbé Pierre would deny. A reaction that can be found in many letters concerning him.
Sister Véronique Margron, president of the Conference of Religious, has collected the testimony of a woman who was allegedly assaulted by the priest, after having suffered violence when she was a child.His father wrote to Abbé Pierre, they went to see him. Abbé Pierre tore up the letter” she says, recalling “a gesture of nameless contempt“, and d'”increased violence“. Faced with these accusations, the Church placed him in a psychiatric hospital in Switzerland in 1957. Officially, the priest was admitted for a hernia.
