(Survey) At Emmaüs, rebuilding without Abbé Pierre

That day, the name of Abbé Pierre was on everyone’s lips within the Futuroscope Congress Center (Vienna), decorated with embroidered carpets and large wooden sideboards. “A betrayal”, “a big slap in the face”, grumble some of the 450 participants in the World Forum for Alternatives, an internal event at Emmaus International, bringing together employees, volunteers and companions(1) of the movement for four days. A few days earlier, a new report on accusations of sexual violence against Abbé Pierre had just increased to 24 the number of alleged victims of the most famous priest in France.

Inspiring figure

By creating Emmaüs in the aftermath of the Second World War, Henri Grouès – his legal name – managed to bring thousands of volunteers into his wake over the decades. Seventeen years after his death, the Emmaüs “galaxy” extends to 43 countries, and has 40,000 members worldwide, including 30,000 in France. At the World Forum of Alternatives, we meet faithful among the faithful, like Julio de la Granja. This septuagenarian of Spanish nationality got involved in the early 1970s, after meeting the charismatic priest in his country. At the time, he was immediately won over by Abbé Pierre’s great idea: “Charity is not enough, we must share people’s lives. » The retiree now lives in a Belgian community, where he shares meals and activities with his companions. He even raised his two sons there.

Nicole joined the French community of Bernes-sur-Oise (Val d’Oise) seven years ago, after the death of her husband. “At home, I have nothing to do except think about others,” the elegant octogenarian with her hair tied up with a barrette smiles. She also knew Abbé Pierre, and “venerated” him. She still remembers her appeal in the winter of 1954, during which thousands of men, women and children froze in the streets of Paris. She was then living in the center of the capital. “Everyone was talking about it in the parishes,” she remembers. This practicing Catholic would never have imagined that, decades later, she would be offended by the actions of her idol. When such an inspiring figure collapses, what should we do with his shadow?

No longer honor him like before

The Abbé-Pierre Foundation has already taken steps to change its name. And in Esteville (Seine-Maritime), the place which retraced the life and actions of the priest of the poorly housed was closed. “We can no longer honor his memory as before,” said Adrien Chaboche, the general delegate of Emmaus International. Some suggest transforming the space into a shelter for victims of sexual violence. The community is also wondering whether or not it is necessary to rename streets Abbé-Pierre – nearly 150 roads are affected in France. The decision is up to the municipalities, but some members have their own idea, such as replacing the surname which has become sour with “Emmaüs” or even “the companions of Emmaüs”. For the management, it is not a question of forever silencing the name of the abbot or of denying him as the founder of Emmaüs but of putting his overall journey into perspective. The reflection is only just beginning. “Many members are still emotional. We have not started the reconstruction phase,” explains Adrien Chaboche.

However, this group therapy is not to everyone’s taste. “They talk about it a lot here, each time, I leave,” squeaks Kadidia Zerbo, making a gesture of stepping back, her right arm leaning on a stall of artisanal products. The president of the Burkinabe association Wend Yaam, affiliated with Emmaüs international, wants to maintain a good image of the abbot of the homeless. Because she intends to continue to honor her fight throughout the world, and particularly in her country, Burkina Faso. In the heart of this territory decimated by terrorist attacks and peaks of famine, this sixty-year-old walking with a cane regularly goes out to meet the population, food and health kits in her bags. “Abbé Pierre’s Emmaus is my savior,” a woman she had just rescued told her one day. How could she accept that the figure of the priest should be put away in the history books?

To keep your portrait or not

Everywhere, field offices are wondering what action to take. Management never gave them any specific instructions regarding the display of the image of Abbé Pierre. In the Bernes-sur-Oise store, all the portraits have already been replaced. Customers don’t even notice the orange sheet hiding the face of the founder of Emmaüs on the fresco which adorns the corridor, towards the dishwashing area. “We removed all these “icons” exposed to the public, explains co-responsible Alexis Nicolas. In common areas – warehouses, canteens – this will also soon be the case. “But if the companions want to display his image in their room, that’s their right, of course…” adds the fifty-year-old.

Other branches have decided, on the contrary, to leave frescoes and portraits before the eyes of visitors, as in Vesoul. There was a vote: 16 votes were for, 6 against. In Pontivy (Morbihan), Séverine Diot, co-responsible for the local community, is clearly opposed to it: “It’s not possible! » She will have to change her business cards, which showed the wrinkled face of the abbot accompanied by the play on words: “Assigned to the Resistance”. “I really liked this logo,” saddens the Breton woman, who has been in the movement for seventeen years. I was excited by the idea of ​​offering both a second chance to human beings and a second life to objects. But as far as Abbé Pierre is concerned, I hope that he will not have a second posthumous chance today,” she says, her voice full of anger. Behind the tree of the tutelary figure hides an entire forest… “A community is alive,” reacts Adrien Chaboche, the general director of Emmaüs international: it brings together people with diverse life paths, different sufferings. One member notably told me that the portrait of Abbot Pierre of his community had been made by a companion, who died six months ago. Removing him is painful for the other companions who lived with him for decades. »

The work stronger than man

One of the strengths of the movement lies in its transgenerational aspect. And it is from there, perhaps, that the rebound will emerge allowing it to overcome the most serious crisis in its history. Attracted by the grandeur of the work more than by the man, the new generations have less difficulty distancing themselves from the founder. Like this manager in the southwest of France, who would prefer to praise the bread and vegetables produced by his companions. “It pisses me off, they only talk to me about him! This is the problem with organizations that put so much emphasis on a personality. » As Axelle Brodiez-Dolino, CNRS research director in contemporary history (2), recalls, “Abbé Pierre was a historical figure, but he let go of the organizational controls at the end of the 1950s. Since then, many have dissociated him of the association”.

Can the work of Emmaüs, which intervenes in many areas such as help for the homeless and integration structures, be tainted by the scandal? Within the communities, there is fear of a severe drop in customer and donor attendance. Even if nothing indicates it, for the moment. “Customers don’t tell us about Abbé Pierre, they come to us to do business,” observes David, a faithful companion for more than twenty years. The observation somewhat boosts the morale of this former inmate, who “fell in love” with the movement upon his release from prison and who even had the face of the priest in the beret tattooed on his left shoulder. “Within Emmaüs, I learned to trust myself and to trust. Today, when you turn on the TV, you have to be afraid of everyone, even your neighbor. Here, we prove that we can all live together,” he says, his eyes sparkling under his glasses. Nicole, the volunteer from Bernes-sur-Oise, also believes in the sustainability of the associative network. “Like the Emmaus pilgrims who encountered Christ, don’t you think that these former street people also find the Lord here? I was disappointed, it’s true, she admits, but the #MeToo era had not yet started. »

The organization is at a turning point in its history. Abbé Pierre’s Emmaüs could join the list of associations known more for their actions than for their founder, like Secours Catholique, many of which are unaware of the one who was at the origin – Father Jean Rodhain, in 1946. Would it be so dramatic? “We know what we owe to Abbé Pierre: his words and his commitment remain relevant,” concludes Adrien Chaboche. But the Emmaus movement has been living its own life for a very long time. »

1) An Emmaus companion is a person welcomed into an Emmaus community.

2) Author of Emmaus and Abbé Pierre (Ed. Les Presses de Sciences-Po, 2009).