Following the revelation of accusations of sexual violence committed by the founder of Emmaüs, many municipalities are already considering renaming places that bear the clergyman’s name.
The time is long gone, when The Figaro headlined the day after the death of Abbé Pierre, in 2007: “All of France wants its Abbé Pierre street» to honor the memory of the founder of Emmaüs. “In light of the new revelations and in solidarity with the victims, it is not possible to maintain this name in the State,” This is what Manuel Gente, mayor of the small town of Esteville (Seine-Maritime), which hosts the memorial site dedicated to the priest, decided on Friday, September 6.
This memorial, in the heart of the Normandy village where the remains of Abbé Pierre lie, will therefore be permanently closed, a few days after the revelation of new accusations of sexual violence targeting the clergyman. And the Foundation that bears his name will also be renamed.
A decision far from being isolated: if the associations directly linked to the actions of the priest were the first to react following these accusations, no less than 150 places had been named in honor of the priest, according to a count carried out by the AFP. And among them, many are today the subject of reflection, or even being renamed at the initiative of the mayors of communes.
Emmaus “independent of the intolerable actions” of the priest
“Traditionally, streets were named after their uses: the market square, the artisans’ street…”explains geography professor Dominique Badariotti, professor of geography at the University of Strasbourg and Director of the Image Ville Environnement Laboratory (LIVE, CNRS). “From Louis XV onwards, streets were named in homage to historical figures, to glorify them: often soldiers, writers, politicians… Before including in this list personalities who correspond to strong symbols of history” like Abbé Pierre, completes the specialist, who adds: “The novelty is that now, naming streets or renaming them has an immediate character, closely linked to current events.” This is demonstrated, for example, by the speed with which municipalities took steps to have a street or a square named Arnaud Beltrame, in the first days following the heroic death of the policeman. In the case of Abbé Pierre, the first announcements of the renaming were made only a few days after the new revelations concerning the clergyman.
“As of today, the corresponding signage will be removed from the site. In the coming weeks, we will find a new name for this charming park in the heart of the city.”declared Pascal Pelain, mayor of Villeneuve-la-Garenne, on September 12, regarding a square named after the man of the Church in this town in Hauts-de-Seine. The mayor, however, denies denying “the history of our city, marked by the Emmaus Movement [qui est] independent of the intolerable actions of which Abbé Pierre is accused”.
The centre-right mayor is thus following in the footsteps of his Nantes counterpart, who announced on 12 September that the square “Abbé Pierre”named thus since 2022, “would no longer bear this name”. “Work will be undertaken with these same associations to collectively agree on a new name.”continues the City of Nantes in consultation with the 3 associations of the Emmaüs movement of the territory, Les Eaux Vives and SOS Famille, in a press release quoted by West France .
The same story can be heard in the East, in Nancy, where the town announced on Monday the imminent removal of a commemorative plaque placed at the former parliamentary address of Abbé Pierre, who was a member of parliament for Meurthe-et-Moselle from 1945 to 1951. “The voices of victims, women and children, must be heard, respected and supported as a priority”explains the municipality. In Paris, and “in an exceptional manner” the city “wishes to rename the Grands Moulins garden” bearing the name of Abbé Pierre.
The Mouv’Enfants association, which fights against violence against minors, welcomed this decision. “fast and unambiguous”, before expressly requesting the removal of the representation of Abbé Pierre at the bottom of the “fresco of the Lyonnais”a trompe-l’oeil representing famous Lyonnais. “It is no longer possible to pay tribute to aggressors”the association scolds. The fresco is private property, the town hall responds, which complicates any decision, but a debate is underway. The city of Besançon will, for its part, “very soon” remove his name from the night shelter near the Glacis park.
“There is no longer any need to wonder”
In the suburbs of Pau, the Emmaüs Lescar village wants to remove a six-metre-high sculpture representing a stylised face of Henri Grouès, at the entrance to the community, and to remove internal representations of Abbé Pierre. “We cannot condone the suffering he inflicted on women and children.”explained to the Republic of the Pyrenees Germain Sarhy, the founder of the site. In Hédé-Bazouges (Ille-et-Vilaine) it is the primary school that will change its name. “I spoke about it with the diocesan leadership at the end of August. After the latest revelations, there is no longer any need to wonder.”explains to AFP the head of the establishment Florina Loisel, who assures that the parents, currently informed, welcome this decision positively.
Same approach at the private Abbé-Pierre high school in Tinténiac (Ille-et-Vilaine): “There was no doubt about it”says the head of the establishment Raphaël Gouablin. In Cysoing (North), we are thinking about renaming a communal hall. “It’s heartbreaking, but today we are thinking mainly of the victims”Mayor Benjamin Dumortier told AFP. “Imagine, you rent a room, and it’s called Abbé Pierre while you are a victim? That could be problematic…”
