“We are demolishing an idol, we must respect his work”: in Saint-Aunès, Emmaüs supports Abbé Pierre

Martine Marragou, president and Dominique director of the Saint-Aunès branch, one of the largest in France. DR

Martine Marragou is president, Dominique Boisseau, director of the Emmaüs branch of Saint-Aunès (Hérault), one of the largest in France with 110 companions. They return to the accusations concerning Abbé Pierre, question the motivations of Emmaüs France and worry about the future of their association.

What is your reaction to the new accusations of 17 alleged sexual assaults against Abbé Pierre? ?

Martine Marragou. I am torn between sadness and anger. Sadness, because I am discovering the dark side of a man and anger, finally, against our authorities, who knew and who said nothing. We learned about it from the press, like everyone else, while it had been known in the movement for years.

Dominique Boisseau. What bothers me is the reaction of Emmaüs France. They have supposedly been investigating for a year and last January they asked to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Abbé Pierre's appeal only to condemn him six months later. We have an external firm that conducted an investigation, what are their skills? ? Yes, they took 150,000 euros… This should have been entrusted to the hands of a judge. Justice must take charge of this.

Here, we have someone who improvises as an investigator and who condemns. We must respect the victims, but I have questions. What is the hidden goal of Emmaüs France behind it? I think that quite simply, there is an attempt to take control of the communities, which are financially and legally separated, which Abbé Pierre had put in place.

But do you question the two reports that mention 24 testimonies against Abbé Pierre ?

M.M. and D.B. We do not question, there is no doubt, but we ask ourselves questions. These are statements and facts that happened for some 70 years ago. We ask ourselves the question: why now? Why two salvos, one in July, one now in September? What is hidden behind? Why not a third before Christmas? Attention, we repeat, do not question the reports.

M.M. But here, we are debunking an idol. Every man has his share of shadow and light, I prefer to remember, as president, the share of light of what Abbé-Pierre did and of the number of lives he saved, of the number of companions he accompanied, of the number of women, also, to whom he was able to restore this lost dignity. We must now look at the work and not condemn everything at once.

Dominique Boisseau, you have been in office for 26 years, have you ever met him??

I have met him several times. In particular in 2005 when I saw an old man who was shaking in his chair and who was completely in his right mind. I wonder about touching, with the Parkinson's he had, he would not have been able to pick up his dentures from the floor. There, I can doubt what he says. My first meeting must have been in 2000, there was no sign. Our administrators who met him, they received him at their home, and at no time could they have suspected that things like this were happening.

I become very suspicious of the word of someone who immediately becomes the word of truth. If there are people who are really victims, yes, we must hear them, on the other hand it deserves to be verified by competent people.

How do you see the future ?

D.B. What do they plan to do with the people in the communities ? They are at the last door before the street. There is an answer that was provided by the work of Abbé Pierre, there, there is an attempt at control. It is: let us break the image of the Abbot to better enter the communities.

M.M. They destabilize an entire system. The community is a place where people calm down, restructure themselves, and regain their dignity. We are a model in our own right, that is what makes us strong. The companions tell us: “but what are these stories” ?”. We must continue our work with the most deprived, that is what must remain, Abbé Pierre, we can never take that away from him, he made the appeal of “54”, sheltered all these people who had none. We must respect its share of light.

Should we, within Emmaüs, modify the logo and statutes to erase its name as Emmaüs France suggests ?

D.B. If that is the only concern at the moment, it is worrying.

M.M. It is in line with what they have started, it is the desire to erase everything. In Saint-Aunès, we will leave the portraits for the moment, the work exists, it has nothing to do with what is reproached to him.

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