As the national bishops' conference announced on Thursday evening, the Community of Saint-Martin is to receive two so-called apostolic assistants.
These clergymen, appointed by the Vatican, are to investigate allegations of spiritual abuse levelled against the founder of the community, Jean-Francois Guerin (1929-2005), among other things.
In addition, some adults have reported offences of a sexual nature, such as forced kissing.
Supporting the community with reforms
The two Apostolic Assistants - the Bishop of Laval, Matthieu Dupont, and the Abbot of the Premonstratensian Monastery of Mondaye, Francois-Marie Humann - announced that the aim was to recognise the suffering suffered and to enable the Saint-Martin community to see its foundation and history in a new light.
At the same time, the two clergymen are to accompany the community in the reforms that the Vatican's religious authority deems necessary following a visitation carried out between July 2022 and January 2023.
The Saint-Martin community recently provided the most new priests in France. Similar accusations to those levelled against Guerin are also being made against the founder of the Community of Jerusalem, Pierre-Marie Delfieux (1934-2013).
Only on Wednesday, the Emmaus movement of Abbe Pierre (1912-2007) also announced that the religious, who became known as a campaigner against poverty and homelessness, may have engaged in sexually abusive behaviour towards several women.