According to Pope Francis, the Vatican was aware of Abbé Pierre’s sexual assaults for years.
The head of the Catholic Church admitted that, at least since the well-known French priest’s death in 2007, Rome had been aware of the recently publicized sexual abuse he had committed.
As he was leaving his extensive tour of Asia on Friday, September 13, Pope Francis disclosed that the Vatican had been aware of Abbé Pierre’s behavior for years. Abbé Pierre is currently facing accusations of sexual assault by multiple women, one of whom was a minor at the time. “I am not sure when the Vatican became aware of it. “I am not sure because I was not present [he was elected in 2023], and I never thought to look into this. However, after his passing [in 2007], it was made public, but prior to that, I am not sure,” the leader of the Catholic Church responded to a query from Le Monde during a news conference on a plane returning from a 12-day tour of Asia. The pope denounced, “Sexual abuse of children, of minors, is a crime and a disgrace.” At the time of the incidents, Abbé Pierre’s youngest known victim was eight years old.
