Thursday, January 16, 2025

New allegations against French poor priest Abbé Pierre

There are apparently new allegations of sexual abuse against the French poor priest Abbé Pierre (1912-2007). 

French media reported on Monday evening of nine further witness statements according to which the priest, who died in 2007, is said to have raped an underage boy, among other things. 

There is also talk of sexual assaults on a member of the priest's family. The offences are said to have taken place between the 1960s and the 2000s.

Henri Antoine Grouès, the real name of Abbé Pierre, 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. 

In France, Abbé Pierre was regarded as 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.

In recent months, numerous allegations of sexual assault by the priest have come to light. 

The current allegations are contained in a third report compiled by the contact centre commissioned by Emmaus International, Emmaus France and the Abbé Pierre Foundation. 

According to the newspaper "Le Parisien", this third report "paints the picture of a menacing predator and manipulator who has raged throughout his life".