Abbé Pierre: Revelations from his nephew about his uncle's secrets

The nephew of Abbé Pierre, Guy Tuscher spoke in the press regarding his uncle's actions. It evokes “a real disappointment with the man” and incomprehension.

Striking accusations and testimonies even within his family. This Monday, October 7, the nephew of Abbé Pierre, Guy Tuscher, 71, gave an exclusive interview to France Bleu Isère in which he claims to know that his uncle did not respect his vow of chastity, however, he was not aware of the accusations of sexual assault or rape. As a reminder, the founder of Emmaus, who died in 2007, is accused of sexual assault and rape after the testimonies of 24 women. A real blow to his nephew who readily admits that “everyone was captivated by the myth of Abbé Pierre. And who was the man behind it”? Well, the man, we are discovering him now”, he concedes to the microphone of France Bleu.

Asked about the revelations of the Emmaus Foundation this summer, reporting acts that took place between 1970 and 2005, the nephew of Abbé Pierre, Guy Tuscher, acknowledged that the moment of the announcement “was violent. But, in fact, I knew”. And he was clearly not the only one. According to him, “we, in the family, we all knew that our uncle's sexuality was problematic. My mother had spoken to us about it. On the other hand, the sexual assaults as they were described, no, we didn't know about them,” he explains.

And several questions still haunt Guy Tuscher's mind, he does not understand his uncle's actions, and does not seek to mitigate them. He speaks rather of a “disappointment with the man. Why did he take the risk that one day this would become known and destroy all the work he had accomplished humanly and politically ? I support these women who have told what they suffered,” he continues.

“Everyone knew there was a problem, the “Church, the “State”

For the septuagenarian, such behavior is “unacceptable.” All the more so because of the status of Abbé Pierre, a respected man, perhaps even venerated by some. “As we know, the victims took a long time to speak out. We can consider that there is shock, but in fact, without the #MeToo movement, who would have believed them? ?”, he asks. In his answers, Guy Tuscher did not spare the Church, which he accuses of having been aware of some of his uncle's actions, as was the Emmaüs association:  “Everyone knew there was a problem, the church, the state, which did not want to award him the Legion of Honour, and even Emmaüs, who had no interest at the time in “Let it get out,” he says.

As a reminder, Emma's investigation report contains extracts from direct and non-direct testimonies over eight pages. The stories span from the end of the 1970s to 2005. Of the seven women who testified anonymously, six reported alleged facts that could be described as sexual assault. The latter denounces sexist remarks. The report reveals a man of the Church who “does not stop himself from seeking to satisfy his urges, feeling authorized to commit actions reprehensible by the law of the time.” “I usually defend myself, but there, it was God. What do you do when it's God who makes you “accept this”?”, asks one of the women who calls herself a victim.