Manuel Grente, mayor of the Seine-Maritime town where the priest is buried and where he lived, said on Friday that he had begun to think about the village school, which bears the name of the clergyman, accused of multiple sexual assaults.
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The mayor of Esteville, in Seine-Maritime, stated on Friday August 23rd on France Bleu Normandie and in a press release that he had begun to discuss the village school to find out whether or not the establishment would keep the name Abbé Pierre, who was accused of sexual assault.
It is in this village that the priest lived and is buried and it is also where the Abbé-Pierre Emmaüs center and the museum space dedicated to him are located. The elected official believes that it is “It is important to be responsible for asking the right questions, especially taking the time needed to think, without making decisions under media pressure or other pressures.”. In addition to the Abbé-Pierre school, a fresco representing him also exists, painted on the multi-sport area. The same question arises around its future.
“Abbé Pierre left his mark on the history of Esteville. He contributed a lot to it and to deny this evidence would be to rewrite history.”he adds in his text, “Esteville will have to, in conscience and responsibility, find the right balance between the legacy left by Abbé Pierre and the fear caused by the revelations about him.”
On July 17, an independent report commissioned by Emmaüs International, Emmaüs France and the Abbé Pierre Foundation revealed that several women accused the priest of sexual assaults committed between the 1970s and 2005.
