These “imperative” decisions of the Abbé Pierre Foundation after the new accusations against its founder

While 17 new testimonies accuse the 'Abbé Stone of sexual violence, the organizations inheriting the religious announce to take several radical and heavy decisions, including a change of name.

This is a new wave of testimonies that is falling on Abbé Pierre. Seven weeks after the first revelations about the accusations of sexual violence targeting 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 charges include “unsolicited breast touching or forced kissing,” “repeated sexual contact with a vulnerable person,” “repeated acts of sexual penetration of a person over 18, as well as sexual comments, forced kissing and other sexual contact with 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 [their] duty to make these facts public, to denounce them, to learn from them and to make decisions that have become essential and even more urgent.” In a press release, the Abbé Pierre Foundation effectively declared that “the violence and extreme gravity of some of these new testimonies have caused shock within our organizations.” Which agreed on several decisions heavy with meaning “concerning the legacy of Abbé Pierre” and “his place within the organizations”.

The Abbé Pierre Foundation changes its name, but not only

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 was made and the organization chose to change its name. It indicates that it has already “initiated steps” to ensure that the change is implemented “as soon as possible”. The logo of Emma's France could also be modified soon, since it will be proposed to remove the mention “founder Abbé Pierre” during an extraordinary general meeting to be held in December.

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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 specifies in its press release. These highly symbolic measures are "imperative" out of “respect for the victims who spoke out” and also for all the people involved in the Foundation and whose action “would be tainted with profound unease if nothing changed” the organization believes.

Last but not least, Emmaüs and the Abb&eacute Foundation Pierre indicate that a “commission of independent experts will be formed, 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 this 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. The movement wishes to combat all forms of violence,” he believes he must “denounce all intolerable acts, regardless of who commits them”.

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 stand by their side." The organizations also assure that its fights “remain essential to respond to the social emergency" and that it pursue “more than ever [its] missions to combat poverty, poor housing, exclusion and indifference.”