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Workers removed a statue of late French charity icon Abbe Pierre from its pedestal in a small village of eastern France on Tuesday, marking his dramatic fall from grace after a slew of abuse allegations spanning five decades.<\/p>\n
“There was no debate” about removing the life-size resin statue, mayor Denis Mailler of Norges-la-Ville north of Dijon said.<\/p>\n
He added that a vote last week on the village council had been “unanimous”.<\/p>\n
Abbe Pierre, a Capuchin monk since 1932 and an ordained Catholic clergyman since 1938, died in 2007 aged 94.<\/p>\n
Born Henri Groues, Abbe Pierre (whose name means Abbot Pierre) was an icon in France — a friend to the poverty-stricken and the founder of the charities Emmaus and the Abbe Pierre Foundation.<\/p>\n
But salvoes of abuse allegations have blackened his name in recent months, with women publicly reporting assaults ranging from groping to rape and “sexual contact with a child”.<\/p>\n
Since the allegations surfaced, many associated with the cleric have scrambled to distance themselves from their fallen hero.<\/p>\n
At least some bishops in France’s Catholic Church knew as early as 1955-57 — nearly seven decades ago — of “serious behaviour towards women” by Abbe Pierre, the head of the country’s CEF bishops’ conference, Eric de Moulins-Beaufort, wrote in Le Monde daily on Monday.<\/p>\n
He said “measures were taken, including psychiatric treatment” and Abbe Pierre was quietly assigned a companion to prevent him from misbehaving.<\/p>\n
This was “a robust reaction, given the way things were done at that time”, De Moulins-Beaufort argued.<\/p>\n
The removal of Abbe Pierre’s statue from the spot where it had stood since 2013 near Norges-la-Ville’s town hall is particularly telling, as the village of 940 people hosts the second-largest branch of the Emmaus charity in France.<\/p>\n
Emmaus provides accommodation to people who are struggling or marginalised and helps them find work.<\/p>\n
– ‘No problem for us’ –<\/p>\n
“Abbe Pierre represented a lot to me. He was a symbol. It’s the fall of a symbol,” mayor Mailler said.<\/p>\n
“There was nothing else we could do, for obvious reasons.”<\/p>\n
Mailler was unable to say immediately what would happen to the statue, which is being stored for now in the village’s workshop alongside lawnmowers and other gardening equipment.<\/p>\n
Emmaus’ community in Norges can accommodate up to 120 marginalised people. It also hosts a drop-off and sales point for second-hand items and a recycling centre.<\/p>\n
Removing the statue “is no problem for us”, the centre’s boss Bernard Quaretta told AFP.<\/p>\n
“We’re an Emmaus community, not Abbe Pierre’s community.”<\/p>\n
He said it was “up to the town council” what happens to the statue.<\/p>\n
Local sculptor Yves Roulleau, who created the statue, was also happy for his work to be taken off public display.<\/p>\n
“They let me know in advance and I had no problem accepting the decision,” Roulleau said.<\/p>\n
When the statue was put up “France was still in shock over (Abbe Pierre’s) death. After what’s come to light, things are completely different,” he added.<\/p>\n
Roulleau even suggested it might be appropriate to destroy the statue altogether, although the decision lies with the council.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the producers and artistic crew behind the 2023 biopic “L’Abbe Pierre: Une vie de combats” (“Abbe Pierre: A Life of Combats”) on Tuesday condemned the cleric’s “crimes” which, they said, were “obviously unknown” to them and French people when the film was shot.<\/p>\n
“We condemn these crimes and wish to express with force our complete support for Abbe Pierre’s many victims,” they said in a statement.<\/p>\n
At the time of the film’s release lead actor Benjamin Lavernhe said he had “fallen in love” with the character.<\/p>\n
“He’s a revolutionary, a man on the move who leads crowds,” Lavernhe said.<\/p>\n
Last year’s film was the second biopic dedicated to the cleric after a 1989 effort starring Lambert Wilson, known internationally mostly thanks to his role as the Merovingian in “The Matrix”.<\/p>\n
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