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ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis referred to as sexual abuse “demonic” on Friday as he weighed in on the newest intercourse assault revelations in opposition to a legendary French priest, Abbe Pierre, who devoted his life to advocating for the homeless.
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Abbe Pierre, who died in 2007, was considered one of France’s most beloved public figures. The founding father of the worldwide Emmaus Neighborhood for the poor, Abbe Pierre had served as a part of France’s conscience because the Fifties, when he persuaded Parliament to move a legislation — nonetheless on the books — forbidding landlords to evict tenants throughout winter.
Emmaus Worldwide this week revealed that it had substantiated 17 extra claims in opposition to its late founder, including to the seven that had been made public in July when it revealed the claims amounted to “sexual assault or sexual harassment.” The scandal set off outrage amongst French Catholics, for whom Abbe Pierre was a hero and icon.
Francis was requested throughout an in-flight press convention coming dwelling from Asia about what the Vatican knew and when about Abbe Pierre, given reviews that at the least some folks near him knew of his impulsive sexual behaviour.
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Francis mentioned he didn’t know when precisely the Holy See had realized about his abuse, however that it was after he had died.
He referred to as Abbe Pierre a “horrible sinner” however that such a “shameful crime” was additionally the “human situation.”
“He’s a person who did a lot good, however he’s additionally a sinner. We’ve got to talk clearly about this stuff, and never disguise them,” he mentioned. “Abuse is in my judgment is one thing demonic, as a result of each sort of abuse destroys the dignity of the individual.”
In accordance with Emmaus, the brand new 17 circumstances contain ladies who reported behaviour much like that reported by the primary seven victims, extending the abuse allegations from Fifties and 2000s. Their claims concerned “unsolicited breast touching and compelled kisses,” in addition to repeated sexual contact with a susceptible individual, sexual penetration with an grownup girl and sexual contact with a toddler, in line with Emmaus.
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The case of Abbe Pierre is the newest involving a revered, charismatic Catholic chief who seems to have been a sexual predator. It’s comparable in some methods to the scandal involving one other French icon, Jean Vanier, who based the L’Arche motion to look after folks with disabilities and was later discovered to have engaged in misconduct with grownup ladies.
Francis needed to confront the same case throughout his go to to East Timor. Timorese Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo gained the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent marketing campaign for independence, however the Vatican revealed in 2022 that he had been sanctioned for sexually abusing younger boys. Belo was allowed by St. John Paul II to retire quietly in 2002, and the Holy See has by no means revealed what it knew and when about his crimes.
Francis didn’t point out Belo by title whereas he was in East Timor, the place Belo continues to be revered and plenty of Timorese refuse to consider he was an abuser. However Francis did condemn “abuse” on the whole phrases upon arrival in Dili.
Emmaus and the Abbe Pierre Basis introduced a sequence of steps to distance themselves from their founder, together with adjustments to the inspiration’s title and Emmaus logos and shutting a memorial devoted to the priest.
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