The number of reports has continued to increase since the revelations concerning Abbé Pierre. “About ten new reports” have been recorded on the “Egaé” platform who is collecting the victims’ words, a source close to the case told the EBRA group newspapers, including The Dauphiné Libéré.
“These reports must be heard and treated in the same way as the previous ones were, before we can say that they are potential victims of Abbé Pierre,” the same source added.
The content of these testimonies has not been revealed. They potentially come in addition to those of seven women who have already accused the priest of sexual assault, including six in a report published by Emmaüs International, Emmaüs France and the Abbé Pierre Foundation on July 17. A seventh woman denounced sexist remarks.
Testimonies collected by the Sauvé commission
The Sauvé Commission on sexual violence in the Catholic Church had already collected three testimonies on sexual assaults by Abbé Pierre, indicate four of its former members in a column published on July 20 in the World.
During the investigation (2019-2021) of the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE), “we had information establishing that Henri Grouès – Abbé Pierre – had committed acts violating common civility and morality, penal legislation and canonical precepts”, write the four researchers in the article.