The president of the Conference of Bishops of France announced this Thursday, September 12, the opening of the Church archives to investigate Abbé Pierre. A few letters show that some people may have been aware of his behavior as early as the 1950s.
The Church of France wants to cooperate in the investigation into Abbé Pierre. The Conference of Bishops of France (CEF) will open its archives to researchers without delay, and without waiting the usual 75 years, and in particular to those mandated by Emmaüs to investigate Abbé Pierre, its president, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, announced on Thursday, September 12.
“This duration is usually a minimum of 75 years after the death of the priest or religious, according to the regulations of the CEF archives”the institution added in a statement. The objective is “that they can be consulted” by researchers, “in particular to the Emmaüs commission of inquiry”Eric de Moulins-Beaufort said on RCF and Radio Notre-Dame. These are the archives of the Church of France kept in Issy-les-Moulineaux, distinct from those of the dioceses.
“Some letters”
Concerning Abbé Pierre, they contain “a fairly thin file” with “some letters” which show that the Central Office of Cardinals of the time “became aware of the behavior” of the priest. “There is an element that he went to Switzerland” in the 50s, but without “no details on what’s going on there”et “That’s about it”added the CEF official.
As for the degree of knowledge within the Church of these actions, Mgr de Moulins-Beaufort repeated: “unable to say” who knew what. “Some bishops certainly knew a certain number of facts, but exactly which ones? A historical investigation will be needed to tell, and I strongly encourage the investigation that Emmaüs has just opened.”he added.
Following the revelation on September 6 of 17 new testimonies from women accusing Abbé Pierre of sexual assault, Emmaüs announced an independent commission tasked “to explain the dysfunctions” which allowed him “to act as he has done for more than 50 years”.
Mgr de Moulins-Beaufort recalled that Abbé Pierre “did not live in an ecclesiastical framework, he lived with Emmaus” et “That’s where the archives are. That’s where we have to try to understand.”. “In the 1950s, when this behaviour began to become known, it worried many people and the Church tried to help him by forcing him to undergo a psychiatric stay in Switzerland.” and guardianship. “Apparently, Abbé Pierre has always managed to get around this. But I wouldn’t say that the Church has done nothing.”he said.
Updated at 10:35 a.m.: Contrary to what Eric de Moulins-Beaufort had stated earlier in the morning, the limitation period for opening archives is usually 75 years and not 30.
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