The head of the French bishops’ council has said that a number of bishops knew about Abbé Pierre’s alleged abusive behaviour towards women before his death in 2007.
Allegations of historic sexual abuse by the late French Catholic priest and Emmaus founder were published in July this year, following an investigation commissioned by Emmaus International and the Abbé Pierre Foundation.
Pierre, a lifelong campaigner for the homeless, was accused of numerous acts of sexual violence against women spanning from the 1950s to the 2000s.
Speaking in an open letter published in Le Monde this week, Bishop Éric de Moulins-Beaufort, president of the Conference of Bishops of France stated that “at least some bishops” were aware of Pierre’s “serious behaviour towards women” as early as 1955.
While measures like psychiatric treatment and assigning accountability partners were taken, concerns remain about the Church's failure to properly address or report these issues at the time. In response to the gravity of the revelations, the French Church has now released previously sealed archival files on Abbé Pierre.
The Vatican had allegedly been aware of the allegations of Pierre's sexual violence for several years before Pope Francis' election in 2023, Le Monde reported.
Speaking to the news outlet last week, Francis said he didn’t know when the Vatican learned about it, because he “wasn’t there” at the time, and that it “never occurred to me to investigate it".
The pontiff has shown his support for the charity-commissioned investigation into Pierre’s conduct.
In July, allegations of sexual assault towards seven women were made public by the charity.
Earlier this month, a further 17 testimonies of alleged sexual violence committed by Pierre were made public.
In a joint statement, the Abbé Pierre Foundation, Emmaus France and Emmaus International reaffirmed their “full support” for the victims, praising their courage in coming forward.
A listening and support system, set up by the charity, will remain open until the end of this year.
