Abbé Pierre (born Henri Marie Joseph Grouès;
5 August 191222 January 2007) was a French
Catholic priest
The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...
. He was a member of the
Resistance during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and deputy of the
Popular Republican Movement
The Popular Republican Movement (, MRP) was a Christian-democratic political party in France during the Fourth Republic. Its base was the Catholic vote and its leaders included Georges Bidault, Robert Schuman, Paul Coste-Floret, Pierre-Henr ...
. In 1949, he founded the
Emmaus
Emmaus ( ; ; ; ) is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before two of his disciples while they were walking on the road to Emmaus.
Although its geograp ...
movement, with the goal of helping poor and homeless people. For years, he was one of the most popular figures in France. Allegations of sexual abuse of at least 57 women and children emerged in 2024 and 2025.
Youth and education
Grouès was born on 5 August 1912 in Lyon, France to a wealthy Catholic family of
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
traders, the fifth of eight children. The writer and murderer
Héra Mirtel was one of his aunts. He spent his childhood in
Irigny, near Lyon. He was twelve when he met
François Chabbey and went for the first time with his father to an Order circle, the brotherhood of the "''
Hospitaliers veilleurs''" in which the mainly middle-class members would serve the poor by providing barber services.
Grouès became a member of the ''
Scouts de France'' in which he was nicknamed "Meditative Beaver" (''Castor méditatif''). In 1928, aged 16, he made the decision to join a monastic order, but he had to wait until he was seventeen and a half to fulfill this ambition. In 1931, Grouès entered the
Capuchin Order
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. OFMCap) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFMObs, now OFM), the o ...
, renouncing his inheritance and offering all his possessions to charity.
Known as ''frère Philippe'' (Brother Philippe), he entered the monastery of
Crest in 1932, where he lived for seven years and was ordained a priest on 24 August 1938. He had to leave in 1939 after developing severe lung infections, which made monastic life difficult to cope with. He became
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
to the sick at several places
and then was nominated as
curate
A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...
of
Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
's cathedral in April 1939, only a few months before the
invasion of Poland
The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
.
The theologian
Henri de Lubac
Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac (; 20 February 1896 – 4 September 1991), better known as Henri de Lubac, was a French Jesuit priest and Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal who is considered one of the most influential Theology, theologia ...
told him on the day of his priestly ordination: "Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you the same
anti-clericalism
Anti-clericalism is opposition to clergy, religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secul ...
of the saints".
World War II
When
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
broke out in 1939, he was mobilised as a
non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is an enlisted rank, enlisted leader, petty officer, or in some cases warrant officer, who does not hold a Commission (document), commission. Non-commissioned officers usually earn their position of authority b ...
in the train transport corps. According to his official biography, he helped Jewish people to escape
Nazi persecution following the July 1942 mass arrests in Paris, called the ''
Rafle du Vel' d'Hiv'', and another raid in the area of Grenoble in the non-occupied zone: "In July 1942, two fleeing Jews asked him for help. Having discovered the persecution taking place, he immediately went to learn how to make false passports. Starting in August 1942, he guided Jewish people to Switzerland".
His pseudonym dates from his work with the
French Resistance
The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...
during the Second World War, when he operated under several different names. Based in Grenoble, an important center of the Resistance, he helped Jews and politically persecuted escape to Switzerland. In 1942, he assisted
Jacques de Gaulle (the brother of
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
) and his wife escape to Switzerland.
[Il aurait mérité dix fois d'être fait "Juste parmi les nations"](_blank)
testimony of Jean-Claude Duclos, curator of the Musée de la Résistance et de la Déportation de l'Isère, in ''Libération
(), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...
'', 25 January 2007
He participated in establishing a section of the ''
maquis'' where he officially became one of the local leaders in the
Vercors Plateau
The Vercors massif (; ) is a mountain range in eastern France consisting of rugged plateaus and mountains straddling the ''département in France, départements'' of Isère and Drôme in the French Prealps. It lies west of the Dauphiné Alps, ...
and in the
Chartreuse Mountains
The Chartreuse Mountains ( ) are a mountain range in southeastern France, stretching from the city of Grenoble in the south to the Lac du Bourget in the north. They are part of the French Prealps, which continue as the Bauges to the north and ...
. He helped people to avoid being taken into the ''
Service du travail obligatoire
The ' (STO; ) was the forced enlistment and deportation of hundreds of thousands of French workers to Nazi Germany to work as Forced labor in Germany during World War II, forced labour for the German war effort during World War II.
The STO was ...
'' (STO), the Nazi forced-labour program agreed upon with
Pierre Laval
Pierre Jean Marie Laval (; 28 June 1883 – 15 October 1945) was a French politician. He served as Prime Minister of France three times: 1931–1932 and 1935–1936 during the Third Republic (France), Third Republic, and 1942–1944 during Vich ...
, by creating in
Grenoble
Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
the first refuge for resistants to the STO; he founded the clandestine newspaper .
[L'insurgé de la bonté](_blank)
''L'Humanité
(; ) is a French daily newspaper. It was previously an organisation of the SFIO, ''de facto'', and thereafter of the French Communist Party (PCF), and maintains links to the party. Its slogan is "In an ideal world, would not exist."
History ...
'', 23 January 2007 [In ''Le Monde''s obituary, in English]
"ABBÉ PIERRE, FOUNDER OF EMMAÜS, IS DEAD"
, 23 January 2007
) For a time, in 1943, he was given shelter by
Lucie Coutaz, a Resistance member who later became his secretary and was his assistant in his charity work until her death in 1982.
He was arrested twice, once in 1944 by the Nazi police in the town of
Cambo-les-Bains
Cambo-les-Bains (; ) is a town in the traditional Northern Basque Country, Basque province of Labourd, now in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France. It lies on the south-western bank of the river Nive ...
in the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
, but was quickly released and travelled to Spain then
Gibraltar
Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...
before joining the
Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...
of General de Gaulle in
Algeria
Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
.
In the Free North Africa, he became a
chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...
in the
French Navy
The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
on the battleship ''
Jean Bart
Jean Bart (; ; 21 October 1650 – 27 April 1702) was a Flemish naval commander and privateer.
Early life
Jean Bart was born in Dunkirk in 1650 to a seafaring family, the son of Jean-Cornil Bart (c. 1619–1668) who has been described various ...
'' in
Casablanca
Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
. He had become an important symbol of the French Resistance.
At the end of the war, he was awarded the ''
Croix de Guerre 1939–1945
Croix (French for "cross") may refer to:
Belgium
* Croix-lez-Rouveroy, a village in municipality of Estinnes in the province of Hainaut
France
* Croix, Nord, in the Nord department
* Croix, Territoire de Belfort, in the Territoire de Belfort d ...
'' with bronze palms and the ''
Médaille de la Résistance''.
Political career (1945–1951) and the 1960s–1970s
When the war was over, following de Gaulle's entourage's advice and the approbation of the
archbishop of Paris, Abbé Pierre was elected
deputy for
Meurthe-et-Moselle department in both
National Constituent Assemblies in 1945–1946 as an independent close to the
Popular Republican Movement
The Popular Republican Movement (, MRP) was a Christian-democratic political party in France during the Fourth Republic. Its base was the Catholic vote and its leaders included Georges Bidault, Robert Schuman, Paul Coste-Floret, Pierre-Henr ...
(MRP), mainly consisting of Christian democratic members of the Resistance. In 1946, he was re-elected as a member of the National Assembly, but this time as a member of the MRP. Abbé Pierre became vice-president of the
World Federalist Movement in 1947, a universal federalist movement.
After a bloody accident resulting in the death of a blue-collar worker, Édouard Mazé, in Brest in 1950, Henri Antoine Grouès decided to put an end to his MRP affiliation on 28 April 1950, writing a letter titled ''"Pourquoi je quitte le MRP"'' ("Why I'm leaving the MRP"), where he denounced the political and social attitude of the MRP party. He then joined the
Christian socialist movement named ''
Ligue de la jeune République'', created in 1912 by
Marc Sangnier
Marc Sangnier (; 3 April 1873, Paris – 28 May 1950, Paris) was a French Roman Catholic thinker and politician, who in 1894 founded '' Le Sillon'' ("The Furrow"), a social Catholic movement.
Work
Sangnier aimed to bring the Catholic Church ...
, but decided to finally end his political career. In 1951, before the end of his mandate, he returned to his first vocation: helping the homeless. With the modest funds he had received as a deputy, he invested in a run-down house near Paris in the
Neuilly-Plaisance neighbourhood, repairing the whole house. He made it the first Emmaus base (because, according to him, it was simply too big for one person).
Although the priest had left
representative politics, preferring to invest his energies in the Emmaus charity movement, he never completely abandoned the political field, taking strong stances on many and various subjects. Thus, when the
decolonization
Decolonization is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby Imperialism, imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. The meanings and applications of the term are disputed. Some scholar ...
movement was slowly beginning to emerge in the whole world, he attempted in 1956 to convince Tunisian leader
Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba (3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian politician and statesman who served as the Head of Government of Tunisia, prime minister of the Kingdom of Tunisia from 1956 to 1957, and then as the first president of Tunisia from 1 ...
to obtain independence without using violence. Present in various international conferences at the end of the 1950s, he met Colombian priest
Camilo Torres (1929–1966), a predecessor of
Liberation theology, who asked for his advice on the Colombian Church's criticism of "workers' priests". He was also received by US president
Eisenhower and
Mohammed V of Morocco
Mohammed al-Khamis bin Yusef bin Hassan al-Alawi, better known simply as Mohammed V (10 August 1909 – 26 February 1961), was the last Sultan of Morocco from 1927 to 1953 and from 1955 to 1957, and first King of Morocco from 1957 to 1961. A ...
in 1955 and 1956. In 1962, he resided for several months in
Charles de Foucauld's retreat in
Béni-Abbés (Algeria).
Abbé Pierre was then called to India in 1971 by
Jayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan Srivastava (; 11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), also known as JP and ''Lok Nayak'' (Hindi for "People's leader"), was an Indian politician, theorist and Indian independence activist, independence activist. He is mai ...
to represent, along with the ''
Ligue des droits de l'homme
The Human Rights League ( '' t du citoyen' or LDH) is a human rights non-governmental organisation, NGO association whose mission includes to observe, human rights defender, defend and promulgate human rights within the French Republic in al ...
'' (Human Rights League) France in the issues of refugees.
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...
then invited him to deal with the question of Bengali refugees, and Grouès founded Emmaus communities in
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
.
Emmaus
1949: the origin
Emmaus
Emmaus ( ; ; ; ) is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before two of his disciples while they were walking on the road to Emmaus.
Although its geograp ...
(''Emmaüs'' in French) was started in 1949. Its name is a reference to a village in Palestine appearing in the
Gospel of Luke
The Gospel of Luke is the third of the New Testament's four canonical Gospels. It tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascension of ...
, where two disciples extended hospitality to Jesus just after his resurrection without recognizing him. In that way, Emmaus's mission is to help poor and homeless people. It is a secular organization. In 1950 the first community of Emmaus companions was created in
Neuilly-Plaisance close to Paris in France. The Emmaus community raises funds for the construction of housing by selling used goods. "Emmaus, it's a little like the wheelbarrow, the shovels and the pickaxes coming before the banners. A sort of social fuel derived from salvaging defeating men".
There were initial difficulties raising funds, so in 1952, Abbé Pierre decided to be a contestant on the
Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg).
The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
game show ''Quitte ou double'' (''Double or Nothing'') for the prize money; he ended up winning 256,000
francs
The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' ( King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...
.
Winter 1954: "Uprising of kindness"
Grouès became famous during the extremely cold winter of 1954 in France, when
homeless
Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...
people were dying in the streets. Following the failure of the projected law on lodgings, he gave a well-remembered speech on
Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg).
The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
on 1 February 1954, and asked ''
Le Figaro
() is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...
'', a conservative newspaper, to publish his call, in which he stated soberly that "a woman froze to death tonight at 3:00 AM, on the pavement of Sebastopol Boulevard, clutching the eviction notice which the day before had made her homeless". He went on to describe the drama of homeless life, claiming that in "every town in France, in every quarter of Paris" ministry was needed based on "these simple words: 'If you suffer, whoever you are, enter, eat, sleep, recover hope, here you are loved.
The next morning, the press wrote of an "uprising of kindness" () and the now-famous call for help ended up raising 500 million francs in donations (
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...
gave 2 million
). This enormous amount was totally unexpected; telephone operators and the postal service were overwhelmed, and owing to the volume of donations, several weeks were needed just to sort them, distribute them, and find a place to stock them throughout the country. Moreover, this call attracted volunteers from all over the country to help them, including wealthy ''
bourgeoises'' who were emotionally shaken by the Abbé's call: first to do the redistribution, but then to duplicate the effort all around France. Quite quickly, Grouès had to organise his movement by creating the ''Emmaus communities'' on 23 March 1954.
A book was written by Boris Simon called ''Abbé Pierre and the ragpickers of Emmaus''. It spread knowledge about the Emmaus community. In 1955, the priest gave
President Eisenhower an English translation of the book in the oval office. The Emmaus communities quickly spread worldwide. Grouès traveled to
Beyrouth (Beirut, Lebanon) in 1959, to assist in the creation of the first multiconfessional Emmaus group there; it was founded by a
Sunni (Muslim), a
Melkite (Catholic) archbishop and a
Maronite (Christian) writer.
1980s to 2000s
After the
1981 election of President
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
(
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
, PS), during which Abbé Pierre called for voters to
vote in blank), he supported the initiative of the French Premier
Laurent Fabius
Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party, he previously served as Prime Minister of France from 17 July 1984 to 20 March 1986. Fabius was 37 years old when he was a ...
(PS) to create in 1984 the ''
Revenu minimum d'insertion'' (RMI), a welfare system for indigent people.
[Le diable et le Bon Dieu](_blank)
''Le Figaro
() is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...
'', 26 January 2007
The same year, he organized the operation "Charity Christmas", which, relayed by ''
France Soir'', raised 6 million
francs
The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' ( King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...
and 200 tons of products. The actor
Coluche
Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (, ; 28 October 1944 – 19 June 1986), better known under his stage name Coluche (), was a French stage comedian, cinema actor, activist and philanthropist. He adopted ''Coluche'' as a stage name at age 26, when he ...
, who had organized the charitable ''
Restos du Cœur'', offered him 150 million French cents received by his organisation.
Coluche's huge success with the Restos du Cœur, caused by his popularity (Coluche had even tried to nominate himself as a candidate in the
1981 presidential election before withdrawing), convinced the Abbé again of the necessity and value of such charitable struggles and the usefulness of the media in such endeavours.
In 1983, he spoke with Italian President
Sandro Pertini to plead the cause of Vanni Mulinaris, imprisoned on charge of assistance to the
Red Brigades
The Red Brigades ( , often abbreviated BR) were an Italian far-left Marxist–Leninist militant group. It was responsible for numerous violent incidents during Italy's Years of Lead, including the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro in 1978, ...
(BR), and even observed eight days of
hunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...
from 26 May to 3 June 1984 in the
Cathedral of Turin to protest against detention conditions of "Brigadists" in Italian prisons and the imprisonment without trial of Vanni Mulinaris, who was recognized innocent sometimes afterwards. Italian magistrate Carlo Mastelloni recalled in the ''
Corriere della Sera
(; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...
'' in 2007 that a niece of the Abbé was a secretary at Hyperion language school in Paris, directed by Vanni Mulinaris, and married to one of the Italians refugees then wanted by the Italian justice.
[«Quel giorno in Tribunale con lui Difese i terroristi rossi e l' Hyperion»](_blank)
, ''Corriere della Sera
(; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...
'', 23 January 2007 According to the ''Corriere della Sera'', it would even have been him who convinced then president François Mitterrand to grant protection from
extradition to left-wing Italian activists who took refuge in France and had broken with their past.
More than 20 years later, the
ANSA, Italian press agency, recalled that he had supported in 2005 one of his physicians, Michele d'Auria, who was a former member of ''
Prima Linea'', an Italian far-left group, and was accused of having participated in hold-ups during 1990. Like many other Italian activists, he had exiled himself to France during the "
years of lead", and then joined the Emmaus companions. ''
La Repubblica
(; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...
'' specified that Italian justice has recognized the innocence of all people close to the Hyperion School.
Following Grouès' death in January 2007, Italian magistrate Carlo Mastelloni declared to the ''
Corriere della Sera
(; ) is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 246,278 copies in May 2023. First published on 5 March 1876, is one of Italy's oldest newspapers and is Italy's most read newspaper. Its masthead has remain ...
'' that during the abduction of
Aldo Moro
Aldo Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and prominent member of Christian Democracy (Italy), Christian Democracy (DC) and its centre-left wing. He served as prime minister of Italy in five terms from December 1963 ...
Abbé Pierre had gone to the Christian Democrats' headquarters in Rome in an attempt to speak with its secretary
Benigno Zaccagnini, in favor of a "hard line" of refusal of negotiations along with the BR.
In 1988, Abbé Pierre met representatives of the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution funded by 191 member countries, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It is regarded as the global lender of las ...
(IMF) to discuss the difficult financial, monetary and human issues brought by the huge
Third World debt
The debt of developing countries usually refers to the external debt incurred by governments of developing countries.
There have been several historical episodes of governments of developing countries borrowing in quantities beyond their abili ...
(starting in 1982, Mexico had announced it could not pay the service of its debt, triggering the 1980s
Latin American debt crisis
The Latin American debt crisis (; ) was a financial crisis that originated in the early 1980s (and for some countries starting in the 1970s), often known as '' La Década Perdida'' (The Lost Decade), when Latin American countries reached a point ...
). In the 1990s, the Abbé criticized the
apartheid regime in South Africa. In 1995, after a three-year-long
siege of Sarajevo, he went there to exhort nations of the world to put an end to the violence, and requested French military operation against the
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
positions in
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
.
During the
Gulf War
, combatant2 =
, commander1 =
, commander2 =
, strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems
, page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
(1990–91), Abbé Pierre directly addressed himself to US President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
and Iraq President
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was an Iraqi politician and revolutionary who served as the fifth president of Iraq from 1979 until Saddam Hussein statue destruction, his overthrow in 2003 during the 2003 invasion of Ira ...
. He asked French president François Mitterrand to engage himself in matters concerning refugees, in particular by the creation of a stronger organisation than the current
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (HCR). He encountered this year the
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣 识一切 瓦齐尔达喇 达赖 喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...
during inter-religious peace encounters. A staunch supporter of the
Palestinian cause
Palestinian nationalism is the national movement of the Palestinian people that espouses self-determination and sovereignty over the region of Palestine.de Waart, 1994p. 223 Referencing Article 9 of ''The Palestinian National Charter of 19 ...
, he has attracted attention with some of his statements on the
Israeli-Palestine conflict.
[Nation to honour French activist](_blank)
''BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
'', 22 January 2007
His support "à titre amical" ("in title of friendship") for
Roger Garaudy in 1996 brought controversy. The "Garaudy Affair" had been revealed in January 1996 by the ''
Canard enchaîné'' satirical newspaper, which prompted a series of denunciations against his book, "The Foundational Myths of Israeli Politics", and led Garaudy to be charged of
negationism (before being convicted in 1998, under the 1990
Gayssot Act). But Garaudy provoked public indignation when he announced in March that he was supported by the Abbé Pierre, who was immediately excluded from the honour committee of the
LICRA (International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism). The Abbé condemned those who tried to "negate, banalize or falsify the Shoah", but his continued support to Garaudy as a friend was criticized by all anti-racist, Jewish organisations (
MRAP
Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle (MRAPV), also known as MRAP vehicle, is a type of armoured personnel carrier that is designed specifically to withstand land mines, improvised explosive device (IED) attacks, and ambushes to save troops' li ...
,
CRIF,
Anti-Defamation League, etc.) and the Church hierarchy. His friend
Bernard Kouchner, co-founder of
Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF; pronounced ), known in some English-speaking settings as Doctors Without Borders, is a charity that provides humanitarian medical care. It is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) of French origin known for its projects in conflict zo ...
(MSF), criticized him for "absolving the intolerable", while Cardinal
Jean-Marie Lustiger (and archbishop of Paris from 1981 to 2005) publicly disavowed him. The Abbé then went into retreat in the
Benedictine
The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...
monastery of
Praglia near
Padua, Italy. In the film documentary ''Un abbé nommé Pierre, une vie au service des autres'', the Abbé declared that his support had been towards the person of Roger Garaudy, and not towards statements in his book, which he had not read.
The curator of the Deportation and Resistance Museum of the
Isère
Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019. department where Grouès carried out most of his resistance activities declared that Abbé Pierre would have merited ten times to be named
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations ( ) is a title used by Yad Vashem to describe people who, for various reasons, made an effort to assist victims, mostly Jews, who were being persecuted and exterminated by Nazi Germany, Fascist Romania, Fascist Italy, ...
for his struggle in favor of Jews during
Vichy
Vichy (, ; ) is a city in the central French department of Allier. Located on the Allier river, it is a major spa and resort town and during World War II was the capital of Vichy France. As of 2021, Vichy has a population of 25,789.
Known f ...
.
Following this 1996 controversial support to a personal acquaintance, the Abbé was shunned for a period by the media,
although Grouès remained a popular figure.
Positions on the Church hierarchy and the Vatican's policies
The Abbé's positions towards the
Church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
and the
Vatican
Vatican may refer to:
Geography
* Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy
* Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City
* Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome
* Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...
also brought controversy. His positions on social issues and engagements were at times explicitly socialist and opposed to the Church. He maintained a relationship with the progressive French Catholic
Bishop Jacques Gaillot, to which he recalled his duty of "instinct of a measured insolence".
He did not like
Mother Teresa
Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...
; despite her work for the poor, her strict adherence to Catholic teaching on morality did not sit well with Abbé Pierre's left wing ideology. He had difficult relations with the Vatican. ''
L'Osservatore Romano
''L'Osservatore Romano'' is the daily newspaper of Vatican City which reports on the activities of the Holy See and events taking place in the Catholic Church and the world. It is owned by the Holy See but is not an official publication, a role ...
'', not known for reporting the deaths of priests, did not report on his death right away in 2007. Even though it is not customary for the Pope to offer condolences on the death of individual priests, Abbé Pierre's supporters were heavily critical of
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...
for not making an exception. Father Lombardi, spokesman of the Vatican, pointed journalists to the statement made by the French Church, while Benedict XVI did mention his death in private audiences. Official reactions from the Church came in two interviews of French cardinals,
Roger Etchegaray and
Paul Poupard
Paul Joseph Jean Poupard (born 30 August 1930) is a French prelate of the Catholic Church who has been a cardinal since 1985. He held positions in the Roman Curia for more than 25 years, serving as President of the Pontifical Council for Cult ...
. His criticisms of what he considered the lavish lifestyle of the Vatican got him a lot of publicity (especially when he reproached
John Paul II
Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005.
In his you ...
for his expensive travels), but were not well received by the public.
Cardinal Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of His Holiness (; ), also known as the Cardinal Secretary of State or the Vatican Secretary of State, presides over the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, the oldest and most important dicastery of the Roman Curia. Th ...
Tarcisio Bertone
Tarcisio Pietro Evasio Bertone (born 2 December 1934) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church and a Vatican City, Vatican diplomat. A Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal since 2003, he served as Archbishop of Vercelli from 1991 to 1995, as S ...
lauded his "action in favor of poor": "Informed of the death of Abbe Pierre, the Holy Father gives thanks for his activity in favor of the poorest, by which he bore witness to the charity that comes from Christ. Entrusting to divine mercy this priest whose whole life was dedicated to fighting poverty, he asks the Lord to welcome him into the peace of His kingdom. By way of comfort and hope, His Holiness sends you a heartfelt apostolic blessing, which he extends to the family of the departed, to members of the communities of Emmaus, and to everyone gathering for the funeral".
His support for the
ordination of women
The ordination of women to Minister of religion, ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain religious groups in which ordination ...
and for
married clergy put him at odds with Catholic tradition, Church leaders and a substantial portion of French Catholics that followed the traditional teaching of the Church. The same stances, according to
British state media, made him popular among the declining number of left-wing Catholics in France.
In his book (God... Why?, 2005), co-written with
Frédéric Lenoir, he admitted to breaking his solemn promise of
celibacy
Celibacy (from Latin ''caelibatus'') is the state of voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent, or both. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term ''celibacy'' is applied ...
by having had casual sex with women. Despite very strong grassroots opposition to adoption by same-sex couples, Abbé Pierre dismissed people's concerns that it deprives children of a mother or father and turns them into objects. The Abbé also opposed the traditional Catholic policy on
contraceptives
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...
.
Global policy
He was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting a
world constitution. As a result, for the first time in human history, a
World Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt a
Constitution for the Federation of Earth.
Public image
International recognition
Abbé Pierre had the distinction of having been voted France's most popular person for many years, though he was surpassed in 2003 by
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane (; ; ''Zineddin Lyazid Zidan''; ; born 23 June 1972), popularly known as Zizou, is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Football player, player who played as an attacking midfi ...
, moving to second place. In 2005, Abbé Pierre came third in a television poll to choose ''
Le Plus Grand Français'' (The Greatest Frenchman).
In 1998, he has been made
Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec while in 2004, he was awarded the
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
by
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
. He also received the
Balzan Prize
The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organizations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the b ...
for Humanity, Peace and Brotherhood among Peoples in 1991 "For having fought, throughout his life, for the defence of human rights, democracy and peace. For having entirely dedicated himself to helping to relieve spiritual and physical suffering. For having inspired – regardless of nationality, race or religion – universal solidarity with the Emmaus Communities".
Accidents and health problems
He was often sick, particularly in the lungs when he was young. He was left unscathed in several dangerous situations:
* In 1950, while on a flight in India, his plane had to make an emergency landing due to engine failure.
* In 1963, his ship was shipwrecked in the
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata (; ), also called the River Plate or La Plata River in English, is the estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River at Punta Gorda, Colonia, Punta Gorda. It empties into the Atlantic Ocean and ...
, between Argentina and Uruguay. He survived by clinging to a wooden part of the ship, while around him 80 passengers died. On a later trip to Algiers he showed the pocket knife which had enabled him to survive this ordeal.
Sexual abuse allegations
In July 2024, the Fondation Abbé Pierre and Emmaus issued a statement about the results of an investigation they had commissioned after reports of abuse by Pierre had come to light. An independent research group reported that seven women (one of them a minor at the time of abuse) gave testimony about abuse they suffered at the hands of the French priest between the late 1970s and 2005.
In September 2024, a report commissioned by the Fondation reported that Abbé Pierre sexually harassed or assaulted at least two dozen women.
An 8–9 year child was also allegedly abused.
The abuse happened in France and in the United States. The second report led the Abbé Pierre Foundation being retitled, and
Emmaus France voting on removing the priest's name from its logo. The Abbé Pierre Centre in Esteville in Normandy, where he lived for many years and is buried, was to close, and the disposal of hundreds of statuettes, busts and other images of the charity's creator was discussed. There was evidence that colleagues in Emmaus and the Catholic Church knew about Abbé Pierre's sexual behaviour, but did not speak out.
On 14 January 2024, the
Bishops' Conference of France took legal action after the nine new accusations of sexual violence, in order to request the opening of an investigation.
Death
Abbé Pierre remained active until his death on 22 January 2007 in the
Val-de-Grâce military hospital in Paris, following a lung infection, aged 94. He took a stance on most social struggles: supporting
illegal aliens, assisting the homeless on the "Enfants de Don Quichotte" movement (end of 2006–start of 2007) and social movements in favor of requisitioning empty buildings and offices (
squats), etc. He continued to read ''
La Croix'', the Catholic social newspaper every day. In January 2007, he went to the National Assembly to lobby for a law on lodging homeless people.
Following his death, the Minister of Social Cohesion
Jean-Louis Borloo
Jean-Louis Marie Borloo (; born 7 April 1951) is a French politician who served as president of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) from 2012 to 2014. He also was Minister of the Economy, Finance and Employment in 2007 and Minister of ...
(
UMP) decided to give Abbé Pierre's name to the law, despite the latter's scepticism of the law's real value. In 2005 he opposed conservative deputies who wanted to reform the
Gayssot Act on housing projects (''loi SRU''), which would have imposed a 20% housing project limit in each town.
After homage by dignitaries, several hundred ordinary Parisians (among them professor
Albert Jacquard, who worked with the abbé for the cause of homelessness) went to the Val-de-Grâce chapel to pay their respects. His funeral on 26 January 2007 at the
Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris was attended by numerous dignitaries: President
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
, former President
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, ; ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as simply Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981.
After serving as Ministry of the Economy ...
, Prime Minister
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (; born 14 November 1953) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007 under President Jacques Chirac.
In his career working at the Ministry ...
, many French
Ministers, and the Companions of Emmaus, who were seated in the cathedral's first rows according to Abbé Pierre's last wishes. He was buried in a cemetery in
Esteville, a small village in
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inf� ...
where he once lived.
L'abbé Pierre inhumé dans l'intimité
, ''Le Monde
(; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...
'' (with the Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse (; AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency.
With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 c ...
, 25 January 2007 — actualized on January 26)
Honours
*:
**
Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor (2004)[
]
**
Grand Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor (1992)
**
Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor (1987)
**
Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor (1981)
**
Recipient of the Médaille militaire
The ''Médaille militaire'' (, "Military Medal") is a military decoration of the French Republic for other ranks for meritorious service and acts of bravery in action against an enemy force. It is the third highest award of the French Republic, ...
**
Recipient of the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 with bronze palms
**
Recipient of the Médaille de la Résistance
*:
**
Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec
The National Order of Quebec ( French: ), also known as the Order of Quebec, is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governor Jean-Pierre Côté granted royal assent to the (Natio ...
Awards
* Balzan Prize
The International Balzan Prize Foundation awards four annual monetary prizes to people or organizations who have made outstanding achievements in the fields of humanities, natural sciences, culture, as well as for endeavours for peace and the b ...
Bibliography
He wrote many books and articles, including a book for children aged over ten, titled ''C'est quoi la mort?''. Many of his publications have been translated into English. All profits from authors' rights
"Authors' rights" is a term frequently used in connection with Intellectual property, laws about intellectual property.
The term is considered as a direct translation of the French language, French term (also German language, German ). It was fi ...
(books, discs and videos) go to the ''Fondation Abbé Pierre'' which supports homeless and hungry people.
* 1987: ''Bernard Chevallier interroge l'abbé Pierre: Emmaüs ou venger l'homme'', with Bernard Chevalier, éd. LGF/Livre de Poche, Paris. — .
* 1988: ''Cent poèmes contre la misère'', éd. Le Cherche-midi, Paris — .
* 1993: ''Dieu et les hommes'', with Bernard Kouchner, éd. Robert Laffont — .
* 1994: ''Testament...'' — . Réédition 2005, éd. Bayard/Centurion, Paris — .
* 1994: ''Une terre et des hommes'', éd. Cerf, Paris.
* 1994: ''Absolu'', éd. Seuil, Paris.
* 1996: ''Dieu merci'', éd. Fayard/Centurion, Paris.
* 1996: ''Le bal des exclus'', éd. Fayard, Paris.
* 1997: ''Mémoires d'un croyant'', éd. Fayard, Paris.
* 1999: ''Fraternité'', éd. Fayard, Paris.
* 1999: ''Paroles'', éd. Actes Sud, Paris.
* 1999: ''C'est quoi la mort?''
* 1999: ''J'attendrai le plaisir du Bon Dieu: l'intégrale des entretiens d'Edmond Blattchen'', éd. Alice, Paris.
* 2000: ''En route vers l'absolu'', éd. Flammarion, Paris.
* 2001: ''La Planète des pauvres. Le tour du monde à vélo des communautés Emmaüs'', de Louis Harenger, Michel Friedman, Emmaus international, Abbé Pierre, éd. J'ai lu, Paris — .
* 2002: ''Confessions'', éd. Albin Michel Albin may refer to:
Places
* Albin, Wyoming, US
* Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US
* Albin, Virginia, US
People
* Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin"
* Albin (surname)
;Mononyms
* Albin of ...
, Paris — .
* 2002: ''Je voulais être marin, missionnaire ou brigand'', rédigé avec Denis Lefèvre, éd. Le Cherche-midi, Paris — . Réédition en livre de poche, éd. J'ai lu, Paris — .
* 2004: ''L'Abbé Pierre, la construction d'une légende'', by Philippe Falcone, éd. Golias — .
* 2004: ''L'Abbé Pierre parle aux jeunes'', with Pierre-Roland Saint-Dizier, éd. Du Signe, Paris — .
* 2005: ''Le sourire d'un ange'', éd. Elytis, Paris.
* 2005: ''Mon Dieu... pourquoi? Petites méditations sur la foi chrétienne et le sens de la vie'', with Frédéric Lenoir, éd. Plon — .
* 2006: ''Servir: Paroles de vie'', with Albine Navarino, éd. Presses du Châtelet, Paris — .
Discography
* 2001: ''Radioscopie: Abbé Pierre - Entretien avec Jacques Chancel'', CD Audio - .
* 1988–2003: ''Éclats De Voix'', suite de CD Audio, Poèmes et réflexions, en 4 volumes:
** Vol. 1: ''Le Temps des Catacombes'', rééd. label Celia - .
** Vol. 2: ''Hors de Soi'', rééd. label Celia - .
** Vol. 3: ''Corsaire de Dieu'', rééd. label Celia - .
** Vol. 4: ''?'', label Scalen - .
* 2005: Le CD ''Testament...'', pour fêter le 56e anniversaire de la Foundation d'Emmaüs (réflexions personnelles, textes et paroles inspirées de la Bible
The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
) - .
* 2005: ''Avant de partir...'', le testament audio de l'Abbé Pierre, CD audio et vidéos pour PC, prières et musiques de méditation - .
* 2006: ''L'Insurgé de l'amour'', label Revues Bayard, Paris - .
* 2006: ''Paroles de Paix de l'Abbé Pierre'', CD audio, label Fremeux - .
Filmography
* 1955: '' Les Chiffonniers d'Emmaüs'' from Robert Darène with Pierre Mondy.
* 1989: '' Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre'' from Denis Amar, with Lambert Wilson and Claudia Cardinale
Claude Joséphine Rose Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938), known as Claudia Cardinale (), is an Italian actress.
Born and raised in La Goulette, a neighbourhood of Tunis, Cardinale won the "Most Beautiful Italian Girl in Tunisia" competition ...
.
* 2023: '' Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion'' from Frédéric Tellier with Benjamin Lavernhe and Emmanuelle Bercot.
See also
* Emmaus Mouvement
* Streetwise priest
* List of peace activists
This list of peace activists includes people who have proactively advocated Diplomacy, diplomatic, philosophical, and non-military resolution of major territorial or ideological disputes through nonviolent means and methods. Peace activists usua ...
Notes
References
External links
Emmaus International, Abbé Pierre's sole legatee
Fondation Abbé Pierre
International Balzan Foundation
Obituary in ''Le Monde'' (Paris), 23 January 2007 (English translation)
published in ''Le Figaro
() is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It was named after Figaro, a character in several plays by polymath Pierre Beaumarchais, Beaumarchais (1732–1799): ''Le Barbier de Séville'', ''The Guilty Mother, La Mère coupable'', ...
'' (22 January 2007)
French review of press titles for his death
An "Insight" episode which mentions Abbe Pierre
who was portrayed by Ricardo Montalbán
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pierre, Abbe
1912 births
2007 deaths
*
20th-century French Roman Catholic priests