(MENAFN– The Conversation) On July 17, 2024, a press release by the associations Emmaüs France, Emmaüs International and the Abbé Pierre Foundation sent shockwaves through the public. It reported the launch of an independent report by the Egaé group, a company specializing in gender equality, workplace discrimination and violence. The investigation revealed the dark side of a man who has long been considered “France’s most beloved figure”.

Henry Grouès (1912-2007), better known as Abbé Pierre and founder of Emmaüs – an international charity founded in France in 1949 – allegedly sexually assaulted numerous women from the 1950s to the 2000s. These revelations had a profound impact on the constellation of groups associated with Abbé Pierre and Emmaüs, exposing the challenges an organization faces when using a historical figure as a symbolic and strategic resource while also trying to distance itself from such a figure.

A flurry of new abuse allegations against French charity icon Abbe Pierre (France 24).

Abbé Pierre: A Crucial Symbolic Resource

In 2018, I published an article on how organizations use history as a strategic resource, which focused on the Emmaüs case, which has been closely linked to the personality of Abbé Pierre since its inception. The life of this priest, the saga of the founding of Emmaüs and the various symbolic elements associated with Abbé Pierre’s image, such as his dress and public persona, sustained the organization even after his death. By early September, the logo and name of the Abbé Pierre Foundation, a central part of Emmaüs, bore witness to this connection.

Strategic historical resources are both assets for organizational legitimacy and a battleground for power struggles. Unlike tangible or financial assets, they are shaped by both internal and external agents, making them difficult for an organization to fully control. The public and legendary aspects of historical resources prevent privatization or monopoly: Abbé Pierre, in essence, belongs to everyone.

Constructing and controlling a narrative from historical resources

Based on these observations, we offer insights for the strategic use of historical resources. Our model addresses four dimensions to address the challenges posed by strategic historic resources: appropriation, ownership, maintenance, and distancing.

Appropriation involves organizing scattered elements to create a coherent, simple historical narrative. For Emmaüs, this includes the frequent use of Abbé Pierre’s 1954 winter appeal and his image to reinforce the organization’s identity and mission. Emmaüs also faced challenges in controlling the use of Abbé Pierre’s image, widely regarded as a public good in France. The organization had to implement mechanisms such as intellectual property rights to protect this resource. Maintenance refers to the preservation, enrichment and transmission over time of the characteristics and values ​​associated with the historic resource. For Emmaüs, this involved upholding the values ​​espoused by Abbe Pierre, even after his death, in order to strengthen internal cohesion. Ultimately, distancing means knowing when to step back from the historical resource to avoid idolatry, organizational rigidity (and, for that matter, liability). Emmaüs had to distance itself from Abbé Pierre in the past to allow organizational evolution while recognizing his historical contribution.

Distance from the historical resource

In the context of our archival analysis, we had already noted that, starting in the 1950s, the organization or some of its stakeholders tried several times to distance itself from the historical resource that Abbé Pierre represented. Although we had not identified the allegations of sexual assault mentioned in Egaé’s report, several sources indicated that Abbe Pierre may not have observed the vows of chastity associated with his ecclesiastical status as early as the 1950s. Abbe Pierre’s challenge to the Emmaüs constellation was not only a matter of reputation, since the organization, non-religious and financially independent, was relatively detached from the Catholic Church and its hierarchy.

The main concern was more the control of an individual who was resistant to managing structures or following rules. Moreover, in the 1990s, Abbé Pierre caused trouble for Emmaüs by associating with the revisionist historian Roger Garaudy and publicly aligning himself with “competing” associations such as Droit au logement, whose methods, if not objectives, differed diametrically from those of of Emmaus. By the summer of 2024, it seems that the model I proposed has materialized and even intensified, as the Abbé Pierre Foundation begins to distance itself from the Abbé Pierre image. This distancing has recently been dramatically amplified following new revelations shared by the organization in early September 2024.

Various distancing strategies

By analyzing 43 articles published in the French press between April and August 2024, we can outline the key messages used by Emmaüs and the foundation, advised by a crisis communication firm. These messages, evident in the statements of current and former leaders, can be summarized in six distancing levers:

Spacer levers	Responses from the organization	Strategic objectives
Recognition and distancing	Emmaus acknowledges the seriousness of the allegations, notably by affirming its commitment to support the victims while also trying to distance itself from Abbe Pierre as a person.	Insist that the Emmaus movement should not be reduced to its founder and that the charity work should continue regardless of his mistakes.
Surprise and shock	Emmaus leaders express astonishment and shock at the revelations, although some admit there were earlier rumors of problematic behavior by Abbé Pierre.	Demonstrating recent collective awareness and willingness to face facts.
Medical and psychological language	The filmmakers talk about Abbé Pierre’s “impulses”, describing his behavior as a “disease” for which he allegedly underwent “treatment”.	Attacking Abbé Pierre’s personal responsibility, placing it in the context of mental illness, while minimizing his actions by speaking of “indiscretions”
Focus on the mission of Emmaus	The statements emphasize the importance of Emmaus’ mission, recalling that the movement was founded to fight poverty and that this mission must not be diverted by scandal.	Reaffirm the priority of helping the most disadvantaged.
Call for transparency and justice	Emmaus leaders insist on the need for transparency to shed light on the allegations.	To state their willingness to fully cooperate with the authorities and support the victims.
Defending the positive legacy	Admitting mistakes, leaders defend Abbé Pierre’s positive legacy, highlighting his contributions to the fight against poverty and exclusion.	Striving to separate man’s fallibility from the lasting and beneficial impact of his work.

From distancing to a complete break

These points reflect a communication strategy designed to preserve the integrity of the Emmaüs movement while addressing demands for justice and recognition for the victims. The distance from his historical resource is clear, but Abbé Pierre remains as the basic historical reference. However, in early September 2024, the situation escalated with the publication of additional, even more serious, testimonies.

The Egaé report, published on September 4, documents several cases of sexual assault, including one involving a vulnerable person and another involving a child, as well as cases of rape.

Following these new revelations, the Abbé Pierre Foundation announced a series of measures, intending to completely abandon the Abbé Pierre image in its operations and communications. The three organizations took radical steps to distance themselves from their historic resource by revising their memorial policies. The Abbé Pierre Foundation will change its name, Emmaüs France is considering removing “Founder Abbé Pierre” from its logo, and the memorial site/museum dedicated to Abbé Pierre will remain permanently closed.

More revelations may yet emerge as numerous “historical purges” have already been announced. As the organization fights for their survival by distancing themselves from their founder, they must rely on the values ​​that bind their community of volunteers, employees, and donors to help them navigate what can be described as “organizational grief.”

This article was originally published in French

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