A year after the first claims of sexual abuse by the French priest and charity founder Abbé Pierre, 12 more people say they were assaulted. Seven of them say they were minors at the time. The Catholic Church and Emmaüs, the charity organisation founded by Abbé Pierre, have put in place a compensation fund.
Henri Grouès, known as Abbé Pierre, died in 2007. He has now been accused of 45 acts of sexual violence. Twelve new testimonies have been collected since January by Égaé, the helpline for victims.
“Seven of these testimonies concern people who were minors" as young as 10 years old at the time of the events, said the expert firm commissioned by Emmaus to shed light on the matter in a report posted on the Emmaus France website.
Among them are two sisters, one of whom “recounted Abbé Pierre masturbating her" when she was 11 years old in the mid-1970s. Her sister said she had been forced to perform oral sex on him when she was 15, which is considered rape.
Another victim said she was 17 when the priest touched her under her skirt on a train in 1953. She said the nuns who met her told her she had imagined everything.
Financial reparations
Emmaus and the French Bishops' Conference (CEF) said they will set up a joint financial reparation scheme in September to “mark material recognition of the violence and consequences suffered".
The Commission for Recognition and Reparation (CRR) will run the scheme. The CRR was set up by the CEF in 2021 after widespread reports of sexual abuse in the Church since the 1950s.
The church’s other reparation body, Inirr, said it will handle claims for three victims of Abbé Pierre who have come forward.
Both the CRR and Inirr are collecting testimonies and offering up to €60,000 in compensation.
'Transparency' on Abbé Pierre
Emmaus said it wants “transparency" on the abuse. Its research commission plans to publish a full report in early 2027.
Archives opened last September showed the church hierarchy stayed silent from the 1950s about Abbé Pierre’s actions. A book released in April said the Vatican knew as well.
Despite calls from the CEF, there will be no criminal investigation. Abbé Pierre died in 2007 and the statute of limitations has expired.
(with AFP)
