While 17 new testimonies accuse Abbé Pierre of sexual violence, the organizations that inherited the religious man have announced that they are taking several radical and significant decisions, including a change of name.
This is a new wave of testimonies that is crashing down on Abbot Pierre. Seven weeks after the first revelations about the accusations of sexual violence against the priest, 17 new testimonies have been added to the list according to a report by the Egaé firm, commissioned by Emmaüs and the Abbé Pierre Foundation since July 17 to collect potential new testimonies. The various accusations mention “unsolicited contact on the breasts or forced kisses”, “repeated sexual contact on a vulnerable person”, “repeated acts of sexual penetration on a person over 18, as well as comments of a sexual nature, forced kisses and other sexual contact on a child” according to the report.
The Emmaüs movement and the Abbé Pierre Foundation, which had already chosen to make the accusations against their founder public last July, have repeated this choice, considering “that it was [leur] duty to make these facts public, to denounce them, to learn from them and to take decisions that have become essential and even more urgent.” In a press releasethe Abbé Pierre Foundation effectively states that “the violence and extreme gravity of some of these new testimonies have caused shock within our organizations”. Which have agreed on several decisions of great significance “concerning the legacy of Abbé Pierre” and “his place within the organizations”.
The Abbé Pierre Foundation changes its name, but not only that
The name of the Abbé Pierre Foundation had already been mentioned during the first revelations about the accusations against the priest. This time, a decision has been made and the organization has chosen to change its name. It indicates that it has already “initiated the steps” to ensure that the change is implemented “as soon as possible”. The logo of Emmaüs France could also be changed soon since it will be proposed to remove the mention “founder Abbé Pierre” during an extraordinary general meeting to be held in December.
The organization that inherited Abbé Pierre has also decided to permanently close the memorial site dedicated to Abbé Pierre in Esteville. “The future of the center will be the subject of collective work between its various member organizations over the coming weeks,” it states in its press release. These highly symbolic measures are “imperative” out of “respect for the victims who have spoken out” and also for all the people involved in the Foundation and whose action “would be tainted by profound unease if nothing changed,” the organization believes.
Last but not least, Emmaüs and the Abbé Pierre Foundation indicate that a “commission of independent experts will be set up, in particular to understand and explain the dysfunctions that allowed Abbé Pierre to act as he did for more than 50 years.”
“A before and after for our history”
The revelations about the accusations of sexual violence against Abbé Pierre inevitably tarnish the memory of the man and also weigh on the organizations he founded. The movement formed by Emmaüs and the Abbé Pierre Foundation says it knows “what it owes to Abbé Pierre”. “He inspired our organizations and embodied them for many years. He carried a voice, a momentum, which led to waves of solidarity. The importance of his action constitutes a historical fact” can also be read in the press release.
However, these accusations “clearly mark a before and after for our history,” writes Adrien Chaboche, the general delegate of Emmaüs International. “It is now up to us to learn all the lessons from them and to plan for the measures that are necessary to continue our fights, particularly in the fight against violence and for equal rights,” he adds. Since the movement wants to combat all forms of violence, it believes it must “denounce all intolerable acts, regardless of the perpetrators.”
The Abbé Pierre Foundation and the Emmaüs movement reaffirm their “total support for the victims”: “We salute their courage and thank them for their trust. We believe them and we are at their side.” The organizations also assure that these fights “remain essential to respond to the social emergency” and that they continue “more than ever [ses] missions to combat poverty, poor housing, exclusion and indifference.