Further serious allegations have been made against Abbé Pierre (1912-2007), the French priest for the poor who became known as the "father of the homeless", and the Emmaus Movement, which he founded, published new allegations on Friday, which have been received by a specially established contact centre since July.
According to the centre, at least 17 additional witness statements have been collected in recent weeks that incriminate the Catholic religious. He is accused of sexual assaults against women and minors.
The allegations are said to be similar to the statements already published on 17 July by the international and French Emmaus communities and the Abbé Pierre Foundation based in France. At that time, there were seven such cases.
Emmaus movement announces consequences
In view of the corroborating allegations, the Emmaus Movement has now announced drastic consequences: The name of the Abbé Pierre Foundation is to be changed and Emmaus France wants to remove the founder's name from its own logo.
A memorial dedicated to the founder in Esteville, France, will remain closed until there is clarity about its future use.
Emmaus International has also announced that it will set up a commission of experts.
It is to clarify the abuses "that enabled Abbé Pierre to act as he did for over 50 years".
The contact centre for those affected, which was set up in July, will remain open until at least the end of 2024.
"We reiterate our full support for the victims. We applaud their courage and thank them for their trust. We believe them and we stand by them," said the organisations of the Emmaus Movement in their joint statement.
The French Catholic Bishops' Conference also expressed its horror at the new revelations. In a statement, the bishops pledged their full co-operation in investigating the allegations against Abbé Pierre.
Priest was long regarded as a national icon in France
In France, the priest was considered a kind of national icon for many years. The name by which he became known dates back to the Second World War, when he resisted the German occupiers as part of the Resistance.
For a long time, the social activist was the most popular Frenchman.
For the left wing of French Catholicism in particular, he was "the" figure of identification.
Henri Antoine Groues, Abbé Pierre's real name, founded the Emmaus Community in 1949.
Today, it works to combat poverty and homelessness by helping people to help themselves in almost 40 countries around the world.