ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE — Pope Francis called sexual abuse ''demonic'' on Friday as he weighed in on the latest sex assault revelations against a legendary French priest, Abbe Pierre, who devoted his life to advocating for the homeless.
Abbé Pierre, who died in 2007, was one of France's most beloved public figures. The founder of the international Emmaus Community for the poor, Abbé Pierre had served as part of France's conscience since the 1950s, when he persuaded Parliament to pass a law — still on the books — forbidding landlords to evict tenants during winter.
Emmaus International this week revealed that it had substantiated 17 more claims against its late founder, adding to the seven that were made public in July when it revealed the claims amounted to ''sexual assault or sexual harassment.'' The scandal set off outrage among French Catholics, for whom Abbe Pierre was a hero and icon.
Francis was asked during an in-flight press conference coming home from Asia about what the Vatican knew and when about Abbe Pierre, given reports that at least some people close to him knew of his impulsive sexual behavior.
Francis said he didn't know when exactly the Holy See had learned about his abuse, but that it was after he had died.
He called Abbe Pierre a ''terrible sinner'' but that such a ''shameful crime'' was also the ''human condition.''
''He's a man who did so much good, but he's also a sinner. We have to speak clearly about these things, and not hide them,'' he said. ''Abuse is in my judgment is something demonic, because every type of abuse destroys the dignity of the person.''
According to Emmaus, the new 17 cases involve women who reported behavior similar to that reported by the first seven victims, extending the abuse allegations from 1950s and 2000s. Their claims involved ''unsolicited breast touching and forced kisses,'' as well as repeated sexual contact with a vulnerable person, sexual penetration with an adult woman and sexual contact with a child, according to Emmaus.
