PARIS (AP) — A legendary French priest and lifelong advocate for the homeless has been accused of committing acts amounting to “sexual assault or sexual harassment,” the international foundation he founded said in a statement Wednesday.
Abbé Pierrewho died in 2007, was one of France’s most beloved public figures. The founder of the Emmaus international community for the poor, Abbé Pierre had been the conscience of France since the 1950s, when he convinced parliament to pass a law — still on the books — banning landlords from evicting tenants in the winter.
Several women have accused the late priest of sexual abuse or harassment between the late 1970s and 2005, his foundation said in a statement. The foundation explained that it was making public the allegations from seven women, including one who was a minor at the time of the abuse, after studying the report of a firm of experts specializing in preventing violence, which was commissioned to listen to and analyze the women’s testimonies.
“The Emmaus Community discloses the acts that may amount to sexual abuse or sexual harassment committed by Abbé Pierre,” the statement said. It added that several other women had suffered “similar acts” of sexual abuse but could not be heard. The alleged victims were employees, volunteers of the foundation or some of its member organizations, or young women in Abbé Pierre’s personal entourage, the statement also said.
The foundation has set up a confidential system for other potential victims to come forward, to “collect testimonies and provide support to people who have been victims of or witnessed unacceptable behavior by Abbé Pierre,” the statement said.
In 2021, an independent commission on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church estimated that approximately 330,000 children were sexually abused for 70 years by priests or other ecclesiastical figures in France.
