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Euronews
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
French PM Bayrou denies covering up Catholic school abuse scandal
French Prime Minister François Bayrou vehemently denied any role in covering up decades of alleged abuse at a Catholic school in southwestern France, telling a parliamentary commission he had never been informed of wrongdoing. The commission is examining whether Bayrou, who served as France's education minister from 1993 to 1997 and held multiple local mandates in the area, had prior knowledge of widespread abuse claims. More than 200 complaints have been filed since February 2024 over alleged violence and rape committed by priests and school staff between the 1970s and 1990s. Under oath, Bayrou rejected the allegations and claimed he was never alerted to the abuse and accused opponents of using the affair for political gain. He maintained that he only learned about the broader abuse claims through the press and had no insider information. Bayrou further criticised the parliamentary commission for lacking objectivity, and questioned the testimony of former teacher Françoise Gullung, who claims to have warned him and his wife in 1994 and 1995, calling her statements 'fallacious.' However, his statements have been contradicted by several witnesses including former judge Christian Mirande, who handled a 1998 case involving Father Carricart, the school's former director accused of rape. Mirande told the commission that Bayrou visited him during the investigation and expressed concern for his son, a student at the school. Bayrou initially denied the meeting before later describing it as 'fortuitous.' Carricart was handed preliminary charges in 1998 but died by suicide before facing trial. In April, Bayrou's eldest daughter, Hélène Perlant, revealed she had been beaten by a priest at the school during a summer camp when she was 14. She said her father had not known about the incident. Despite this, critics have accused Bayrou of lying to parliament, a serious offence under French law. The Bétharram affair has dealt a significant blow to Bayrou's credibility. Though he has survived several no-confidence votes in a divided parliament, his approval ratings have dropped steadily in recent weeks. In a recent YouGov poll, nearly 7 out of 10 French people believe that the Prime Minister should resign if it is established that he knew about the affair at the time. The parliamentary inquiry is expected to deliver its conclusions by late June.
14-05-2025
- Politics
France's premier faces questions from an inquiry on a Catholic school abuse scandal
PARIS -- PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister François Bayrou was set to face questions Wednesday from a parliamentary inquiry into alleged abuse at a Catholic school amid accusations that he has hidden what he knows about the scandal. Lawmakers at the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, are expected to ask Bayrou what he knew about allegations of physical and sexual abuse over five decades at the private Catholic school Notre-Dame de Bétharram, near the town of Pau in southwestern France. Bayrou is a longtime and prominent elected official in that region and a number of his children attended the school. He has been the mayor of Pau since 2014 and continues to hold that office since becoming prime minister five months ago. He has been a member of parliament from that area for about 20 years and was the national education minister from 1993 to 1997. Over 200 complaints have been formally filed since February 2024 over alleged abuse at the school, including dozens of alleged rapes by priests, said Alain Esquerre, the spokesperson for a group of victims. The scandal took a political turn when Bayrou told the National Assembly in February that he had never been informed of abuse at the school until recent years. A few days later, he said he actually had been aware of 'a slap' by a school supervisor in 1996 when he was education minister, leading him to commission a report. Political opponents have accused him of having lied to parliament. Bayrou has links to the school on a personal level because several of his six children attended the school and his wife used to teach catechism there. In 1998, Father Carricart, the school's former director from 1987 to 1993, was handed preliminary charges of rape against children under 18 and placed in custody. A judge who handled that case told the parliament's inquiry commission that he had a meeting with Bayrou at the time, during which the politician expressed concern about his son, who was a student at the school. Carricart committed suicide in 2000 before a trial could be held. Bayrou's eldest daughter, Hélène Perlant, last month revealed she was among children who were abused, saying a priest beat her at summer camp when she was 14. Now 53, Perlant said she never talked about it to her father or anyone else until the recent release of a book in which she tells her story. 'I remained silent for 30 years,' she said. Esquerre, the spokesperson for the victims, himself a former student and victim of abuse, told the inquiry commission in March that 'it was a time of terror, and no one could imagine that we were in the hands of priests who were also the aggressors.' Showing a printout with a list of names, Esquerre said : 'I am holding here a list of all the priests over the last 70 years, all of them aggressors, all these priests. And so, there still is a number of victims who will little by little, of course, join the already substantial number of plaintiffs.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
France's premier faces questions from an inquiry on a Catholic school abuse scandal
PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister François Bayrou was set to face questions Wednesday from a parliamentary inquiry into alleged abuse at a Catholic school amid accusations that he has hidden what he knows about the scandal. Lawmakers at the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, are expected to ask Bayrou what he knew about allegations of physical and sexual abuse over five decades at the private Catholic school Notre-Dame de Bétharram, near the town of Pau in southwestern France. Bayrou is a longtime and prominent elected official in that region and a number of his children attended the school. He has been the mayor of Pau since 2014 and continues to hold that office since becoming prime minister five months ago. He has been a member of parliament from that area for about 20 years and was the national education minister from 1993 to 1997. Over 200 complaints have been formally filed since February 2024 over alleged abuse at the school, including dozens of alleged rapes by priests, said Alain Esquerre, the spokesperson for a group of victims. The scandal took a political turn when Bayrou told the National Assembly in February that he had never been informed of abuse at the school until recent years. A few days later, he said he actually had been aware of 'a slap' by a school supervisor in 1996 when he was education minister, leading him to commission a report. Political opponents have accused him of having lied to parliament. Bayrou has links to the school on a personal level because several of his six children attended the school and his wife used to teach catechism there. In 1998, Father Carricart, the school's former director from 1987 to 1993, was handed preliminary charges of rape against children under 18 and placed in custody. A judge who handled that case told the parliament's inquiry commission that he had a meeting with Bayrou at the time, during which the politician expressed concern about his son, who was a student at the school. Carricart committed suicide in 2000 before a trial could be held. Bayrou's eldest daughter, Hélène Perlant, last month revealed she was among children who were abused, saying a priest beat her at summer camp when she was 14. Now 53, Perlant said she never talked about it to her father or anyone else until the recent release of a book in which she tells her story. 'I remained silent for 30 years,' she said. Esquerre, the spokesperson for the victims, himself a former student and victim of abuse, told the inquiry commission in March that 'it was a time of terror, and no one could imagine that we were in the hands of priests who were also the aggressors.' Showing a printout with a list of names, Esquerre said : 'I am holding here a list of all the priests over the last 70 years, all of them aggressors, all these priests. And so, there still is a number of victims who will little by little, of course, join the already substantial number of plaintiffs.'
Winnipeg Free Press
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
France's premier faces questions from an inquiry on a Catholic school abuse scandal
PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister François Bayrou was set to face questions Wednesday from a parliamentary inquiry into alleged abuse at a Catholic school amid accusations that he has hidden what he knows about the scandal. Lawmakers at the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, are expected to ask Bayrou what he knew about allegations of physical and sexual abuse over five decades at the private Catholic school Notre-Dame de Bétharram, near the town of Pau in southwestern France. Bayrou is a longtime and prominent elected official in that region and a number of his children attended the school. He has been the mayor of Pau since 2014 and continues to hold that office since becoming prime minister five months ago. He has been a member of parliament from that area for about 20 years and was the national education minister from 1993 to 1997. Over 200 complaints have been formally filed since February 2024 over alleged abuse at the school, including dozens of alleged rapes by priests, said Alain Esquerre, the spokesperson for a group of victims. The scandal took a political turn when Bayrou told the National Assembly in February that he had never been informed of abuse at the school until recent years. A few days later, he said he actually had been aware of 'a slap' by a school supervisor in 1996 when he was education minister, leading him to commission a report. Political opponents have accused him of having lied to parliament. Bayrou has links to the school on a personal level because several of his six children attended the school and his wife used to teach catechism there. In 1998, Father Carricart, the school's former director from 1987 to 1993, was handed preliminary charges of rape against children under 18 and placed in custody. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. A judge who handled that case told the parliament's inquiry commission that he had a meeting with Bayrou at the time, during which the politician expressed concern about his son, who was a student at the school. Carricart committed suicide in 2000 before a trial could be held. Bayrou's eldest daughter, Hélène Perlant, last month revealed she was among children who were abused, saying a priest beat her at summer camp when she was 14. Now 53, Perlant said she never talked about it to her father or anyone else until the recent release of a book in which she tells her story. 'I remained silent for 30 years,' she said. Esquerre, the spokesperson for the victims, himself a former student and victim of abuse, told the inquiry commission in March that 'it was a time of terror, and no one could imagine that we were in the hands of priests who were also the aggressors.' Showing a printout with a list of names, Esquerre said : 'I am holding here a list of all the priests over the last 70 years, all of them aggressors, all these priests. And so, there still is a number of victims who will little by little, of course, join the already substantial number of plaintiffs.'
San Francisco Chronicle
14-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
France's premier faces questions from an inquiry on a Catholic school abuse scandal
PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister François Bayrou was set to face questions Wednesday from a parliamentary inquiry into alleged abuse at a Catholic school amid accusations that he has hidden what he knows about the scandal. Lawmakers at the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, are expected to ask Bayrou what he knew about allegations of physical and sexual abuse over five decades at the private Catholic school Notre-Dame de Bétharram, near the town of Pau in southwestern France. Bayrou is a longtime and prominent elected official in that region and a number of his children attended the school. He has been the mayor of Pau since 2014 and continues to hold that office since becoming prime minister five months ago. He has been a member of parliament from that area for about 20 years and was the national education minister from 1993 to 1997. Over 200 complaints have been formally filed since February 2024 over alleged abuse at the school, including dozens of alleged rapes by priests, said Alain Esquerre, the spokesperson for a group of victims. The scandal took a political turn when Bayrou told the National Assembly in February that he had never been informed of abuse at the school until recent years. A few days later, he said he actually had been aware of 'a slap' by a school supervisor in 1996 when he was education minister, leading him to commission a report. Political opponents have accused him of having lied to parliament. Bayrou has links to the school on a personal level because several of his six children attended the school and his wife used to teach catechism there. In 1998, Father Carricart, the school's former director from 1987 to 1993, was handed preliminary charges of rape against children under 18 and placed in custody. A judge who handled that case told the parliament's inquiry commission that he had a meeting with Bayrou at the time, during which the politician expressed concern about his son, who was a student at the school. Carricart committed suicide in 2000 before a trial could be held. Bayrou's eldest daughter, Hélène Perlant, last month revealed she was among children who were abused, saying a priest beat her at summer camp when she was 14. Now 53, Perlant said she never talked about it to her father or anyone else until the recent release of a book in which she tells her story. 'I remained silent for 30 years,' she said. Esquerre, the spokesperson for the victims, himself a former student and victim of abuse, told the inquiry commission in March that 'it was a time of terror, and no one could imagine that we were in the hands of priests who were also the aggressors.' Showing a printout with a list of names, Esquerre said : 'I am holding here a list of all the priests over the last 70 years, all of them aggressors, all these priests. And so, there still is a number of victims who will little by little, of course, join the already substantial number of plaintiffs.'
