A late French priest known for his work with the underprivileged has been accused of s*xually assaulting multiple women, one of whom was young, charities Emmaus and Foundation Abbe Pierre announced on Wednesday.
“Our organisations celebrate the courage of the people who have given testimony and, through their words, allowed these facts to come to light. We believe them,” the organisations said in a joint statement about Henri Groues, known as “Abbe Pierre” (Abbott Pierre), who died in 2007 aged 94.
The allegations are detailed in an independent report commissioned by the charities after a first claim that Groues assaulted a woman.
“This work meant the testimonies of seven women could be gathered, attesting to behaviour that could be interpreted as s*xual assault or s*xual harassment,” between 1970 and 2005, the charities said.
One of the women “was underage at the time of the events”, they added.
A source at Emmaus informed AFP that no criminal charges have been filed.
In a post to X, France’s Catholic Bishops Conference expressed “deep compassion and shame that such acts could be committed by a priest.”
Groues’ gaunt, bearded face are still seen in posters in charity stores and metro stations, imploring French citizens to think of the underprivileged, 17 years after his death.
At the age of 18, he gave up his inheritance to join the Capuchin monastic order, eventually becoming engaged in the resistance to Nazi rule and serving in parliament for several years after the war.
In 1949, he formed the Emmaus community, which promotes self-help for marginalized individuals and has now spread to dozens of nations.
He also supported the “Restos du coeur” soup kitchen movement and criticized city governments for failing to house the destitute.