The head of the French bishops’ council has admitted that several of its officials were aware of Abbé Pierre's alleged sexual abuse of women for decades. And while “measures” had been put in place to address the priest's behaviour, it continued until his death in 2007.
In an open letter published Le Monde on Monday, Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, the current head of the French bishops’ council, said that “at least some bishops” were aware as early as 1955 of Abbé Pierre’s “seriously bad behaviour” towards women.
Some measures had been taken, including “psychological therapy” and the appointment of an assistant, whose surveillance Abbe Pierre “did his best to [evade]”.
These were considered strong measures at the time, according to Moulins-Beaufort, who reiterated that the French church is committed to making sure the “truth is revealed on the facts of violence and sexual violence”.
French charity turns its back on founding father accused of sexual abuse
Sexual assault accusations
Abbé Pierre, whose real name was Henri Grouès and who founded the Emmaus charity and foundation, has been posthumously accused of sexual assault by several women, including one who was a minor at the time of the alleged incident.
Noting that Abbé Pierre was an adored figure in France in the 1990s, Moulins-Beaufort said that no one had made any allegations at the time.
Since then, the church has opened hotlines and reparations mechanisms, and people have come forward, he said.
Moulins-Beaufort called on the Vatican to follow the French bishops’ lead and open its own archives, to see what it knew about Abbé Pierre.
On Friday Pope Francis admitted that the Vatican had been aware of accusations of sexual violence by Abbé Pierre at least as far back as his death in 2007.
(with AFP)
