French bishops release files on Abbé Pierre 58 years early amid sex abuse claims

CNA Staff, Sep 13, 2024 / 17:00 pm

The bishops of France have decided to release archive files related to the famous priest Abbé Pierre nearly six decades ahead of schedule amid multiple claims of sexual abuse involving the late cleric. 

Famed for his resistance work in World War II and later his founding of the poverty ministry Emmaus, Pierre died in 2007. In recent months, numerous allegations have surfaced regarding alleged sexual misconduct by the priest. 

A July 17 report released by the Emmaus Movement detailed claims from several alleged victims largely consisting of Emmaus employees and volunteers as well as young women in Pierre’s social circle. Multiple new allegations were revealed this month.

Numerous groups and organizations connected to Emmaus and to Pierre have been scrambling to address the fallout from the bombshell claims. 

The French bishops, meanwhile, are making available documents related to the priest that would otherwise not have been released until the 2080s. 

The Bishops’ Conference of France (CEF) said in a statement on Thursday that, due to “the seriousness of the successive revelations concerning Abbé Pierre,” the conference would “exceptionally [lift] the duration of communicability of the archives” regarding the priest. 

Standard CEF rules dictate a nondisclosure period of 75 years for archival files and documents “containing information relating to the private life, career, or intimacy” of individuals, including clergy and religious.

For clergy, the period begins upon the death of the priest in question, meaning Pierre’s files would normally only be available at the National Center of Archives of the Church of France beginning in 2082.

On Friday, meanwhile, the Diocese of Grenoble-Vienne — where Piere was incardinated in 1939 — said in a statement that Bishop Jean-Marc Eychenne had “[taken] the decision to exceptionally lift the deadline for the communication of the diocesan archives concerning Father Pierre.”

Both the CEF and the Grenoble-Vienne Diocese said documents related to Pierre would be available to researchers, journalists, and other authorized persons. 

Earlier this month the Abbé Pierre Foundation revealed that it was changing its name amid the ongoing claims of sexual abuse regarding the priest. 

The board of Emmaus France, meanwhile, said it would submit a proposal for the removal of “Abbé Pierre, founder” from its logo at an extraordinary general assembly that will take place in December. 

Emmaus International also said it would convene a panel of independent experts in order to “apprehend and explain the flaws in the movement that allowed Abbé Pierre to behave as he did for more than 50 years.”