Beloved priest -- the "conscience of France" -- accused of sexual assault

For immediate release: July 18, 2024

Reports emerged this week that a Catholic priest, dubbed the "conscience of France," has been accused of sexually assaulting and harassing women -- and at least one under-aged girl -- for decades. SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, can only wonder if earlier complaints were ignored.

Henri-Antoine Groues, known as Abbé Pierre, was a Catholic priest who renounced wealth to campaign for the homeless and became one of France's most revered men before dying at age 94 in 2007. Yesterday, it was publicly revealed for the first time by Emmaüs International, founded by Abbé Pierre, that six women, and one child, had reported acts of sexual assault or harassment between the end of the 1970s and 2005. Emmaüs said that they believed the accusations and stood by the victims.

We cannot help but compare this to the earlier case of former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, whose sexual abuse of adult men went ignored for decades until a boy came forward with similar claims. We know that in a book and a TV interview Abbé Pierre made oblique references to the vow of celibacy, indicating that he might have broken it. That would have been at least 17 years ago. While we believe that assaults on adults by trusted clergy result in great harm and should be addressed immediately, Church officials should also pay attention because some of those who prey on men and women will harm boys and girls as well.

Abbé Pierre (Abbot Pierre) was a Catholic priest revered for his work on behalf of the poor and the homeless. After fighting for the French Resistance and helping Jews escape Nazi persecution, he became a member of parliament from 1945 to 1951. In 1949 he founded the secular Emmaüs community, whose members are often poor and homeless. They raise funds through a large network of thrift stores whose profits go to sustain the community and build social housing. 

By the end of the 20th century, Abbé Pierre had a high public profile, and had been voted France's most popular person for several years. He was also awarded numerous honors and distinctions. We can only imagine that it is then shocking for the country to learn of a yearlong investigation which revealed these crimes. The assaults consisted of unwanted kissing and inappropriate touching - and were deeply traumatic for the victims. 

SNAP applauds the Emmaüs community, which has come forward with an unvarnished statement on its site. The statement not only acknowledged the accusations against Abbé Pierre and said that they were believed, but the group also vowed on national television that more victims will be sought out. We hope that this will indeed by the case. We also hope that this case will again focus on attention on the need for appropriate safeguards and responses for whose who are abused by priests as adults.

We stand with the victims in this case, and all other men, women, boys and girls who have endured sexual assaults within religious institutions. Please do not suffer alone and in silence. There are people who will believe you and support you.

CONTACT: Marc Artzrouni, SNAP Europe Coordinator, (+33 (0)6 95 73 65 92, [email protected])  Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Director, (267-261-0578, [email protected]), Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Interim Executive Director, (814-341-8386, [email protected]) 

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 35 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org.)