At least 17 more people have made accusations of sexual violence against a French monk who became a household name for his charity work, according to a report published Friday, prompting his charities to distance themselves from their founder, reports FRANCE 24.
A Capuchin monk since 1932 and an ordained Catholic clergyman since 1938, Abbé Pierre died in 2007 aged 94.
Born Henri Groues, Abbé Pierre left behind a legacy as a friend to the poverty-stricken and founder of the charities Emmaus and the Abbé Pierre Foundation.
With his once saintly image already shaken by allegations of sexual abuse in July, the latest claims prompted his foundation to announce it will change its name and the Emmaus charity he also founded to announce the permanent closure of a memorial to the priest.
Friday's allegations range from non-consensual touching of women's breasts to "kissing by force", "repeated sexual contact with a vulnerable person", "repeated penetrative sex acts" and even "sexual contact with a child", the report said.
Specialist consultancy Egae was hired by the Abbé Pierre Foundation and Emmaus in July to gather further testimony about their founder, after a first battery of allegations shocked the nation.
They found evidence of abuse dating from the 1950s into the 2000s, taking place mostly in France but also in the United States, Morocco and Switzerland.
Those who testified are current or former volunteers at Emmaus, workers in places where Abbé Pierre stayed, members of families with close ties to the priest or people he met at public events, Egae said.