Book claims Vatican knew French charity icon accused of abuse from 1950s
- A book published Thursday alleges the Vatican knew of accusations against Abbe Pierre dating back to the 1950s.
- These allegations surfaced after journalists gained access to the declassified Vatican archives from 1939-1958, declassified in 2020.
- The accusations against cleric Abbe Pierre include sexual abuse allegations from more than 30 people between 1950 and 2000.
- A priest informed the Holy See in 1955 that Abbe Pierre had done "immoral things" during a U.S. visit, according to archives.
- Although the Conference of Bishops asked for an investigation, no judicial procedure was initiated, impacting Abbe Pierre's reputation.
72 Articles
72 Articles
INTERVIEW. Laetitia Cherel and Marie-France Etchegoin, co-authors of "Abbé Pierre – La Fabrique d'un saint" discovered that the Vatican had been aware of the priest's sexual crimes since 1955.
New revelations about the actions of Abbé Pierre. The book Abbé Pierre: the factory of a saint refers to an explosive investigation into years of silence. Her authors Laetitia Cherel and Marie-France Etchegoin were received on the Plateau de Quotidien this Thursday, April 17, 2025.
A book today affirms that the Vatican was aware of the attacks of Abbé Pierre. Journalists have had access to archives of the Holy See. A request for investigation was sent to the Bishop of Versailles in 1955. The examination is closed two years later. The increasing popularity of Abbé Pierre after his appeal in the winter of 1954 protected him? The Conference of Bishops of France, for its part, has just reacted. She says she wants to shed light…

Book claims Vatican knew French charity icon accused of abuse from 1950s
The authors of a book published Thursday said the Vatican knew about sexual abuse allegations against French charity icon Abbe Pierre as early as the 1950s. The Catholic cleric -- who founded the Emmaus charity which is now present in over 40 countries -- was widely praised for his work for the poverty-stricken and homeless
The Vatican was aware "as early as autumn 1955" of the actions of Father Peter, who was accused of sexual assault, according to a book-investigation to be published Thursday in France, which is based on archives of the Holy See.
"Abbe Peter, the factory of a saint", a book to be published this Thursday, shows that the Holy See had known for decades of "the dangerousness" of the man of the French Church accused of sexual assaults.
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