Latest news with #NotreDameDeBetharram
The Guardian
01-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘A supermarket for sexual predators': abuse scandal at elite boarding school shakes France
When 14-year-old Pascal Gélie saw a brochure for an elite French Catholic boarding school boasting swimming in summer and skiing in winter, he begged his parents to send him. He had just watched the American school drama Dead Poets Society and was expecting 'sport and friendship'. 'On the first night, I realised I'd made a terrible mistake,' said Gélie, now a 51-year-old office-worker in Bordeaux. 'There were 40 of us in a dormitory with decrepit mattresses. When I whispered to another boy for some toilet paper to take to the bathroom, the supervisor grabbed me by the face and pointed to the stone terrace outside. Someone told me to take my coat because you could be forced to stand outside for hours in the cold and damp. I was made to stand there all night.' He said: 'That was just the start: regular blows to the head, children hit so hard they were bloodied and knocked unconscious. I saw one boy's hair ripped out. One was hit so hard, he lost 40% of his hearing. Sometimes we would all be made to stand beside our beds for hours at night because someone whispered, or our beds were upturned with us in them. It was absolute terror.' Gélie is part of a group of former pupils at the private Catholic school, Notre-Dame de Bétharram, whose accounts of violence, rape and sexual assault have exposed what is thought to be the biggest school child abuse scandal in French history. The education minister, Élisabeth Borne, has called it a #MeTooSchools moment. A French parliamentary inquiry has heard months of testimony on Bétharram, which is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees near the pilgrimage town of Lourdes, and other private schools and children's homes across France. On Wednesday the inquiry is due to publish its report and 50 recommendations on preventing violence in education. It is expected to be damning on the French state's failure to protect children. The Bétharram scandal has also become a political challenge to the prime minister, François Bayrou, who sent several of his children to the school, where his wife also taught catechism. Bayrou's daughter, now 53, recently revealed she was brutally beaten on a summer camp linked to the school but did not tell her father. Bayrou, who was education minister from 1993 to 1997 and held local political roles, was questioned by the inquiry about whether he knew about abuse at Bétharram and covered it up. He said he had 'hidden nothing', saying his foes were leading a political campaign of 'destruction' against him. In total, 200 legal complaints have been filed accusing Bétharram priests and staff of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Ninety complaints allege sexual violence or rape. Two complaints have led to charges against a former supervisor over the alleged sexual assault of a minor in 2004 and alleged rape of a minor from 1991 to 1994. He has been placed in custody while the investigation continues. Many other accusations were past the time-limit for prosecution. Gélie said: 'We want a change in the law to remove time limits for reporting child abuse.' Boris, 51, who now works in events management, said: 'Bétharram was like a supermarket for sexual predators and those of us who were sexually abused or raped often had the same profile: vulnerable children with separated or deceased parents.' From a poor, single-parent family in Bordeaux, he was sent to Bétharram aged 13, ironically because his mother wanted to protect him; at 12, he had been targeted by a grooming gang in Bordeaux who befriended him at his local swimming pool and sexually abused him over several months. Boris, who did not want his surname published, said: 'My mother wanted to get me away from Bordeaux so we begged the Bétharram school principal for a place. To persuade him, I told him about the abuse I'd endured, including the horrible detail that my attacker always handed me an envelope containing 50 French francs [the equivalent of €7, or £6].' Six months after Boris was admitted to Bétharram, the same school principal, Pierre Silviet-Carricart, a priest, called him into his office on his 14th birthday and sexually assaulted him, he said. 'Then he handed me an envelope containing 50 francs,' Boris said. 'The cynicism and cruelty of that …' Carricart, was accused of targeting another 11-year-old pupil whose father had just died in a road collision. The boy's mother, Martine, arranged to travel to the school to collect him at 6am on the day of his father's funeral. Martine, now 71, who does not want her surname published, said: 'Before I arrived, Father Carricart woke my son and took him to the priests' shower-room where he told him to wash to look nice for the funeral. Then, in that bathroom, he submitted my son to a terrible sexual attack.' Martine's son did not tell her about the abuse but she noticed his extreme anguish. She said: 'At the crematorium, he was distraught. He lay on his father's coffin and tried to open it. He said: 'I want to go with Dad.'' A decade later, in 1997, aged 21, Martine's son was arrested for exposing himself. He broke down in police questioning and for the first time spoke about repeated sexual abuse at Bétharram. A police investigation was opened for rape and sexual assault of a minor. Carricart, who denied the allegations, was charged and placed in pre-trial detention. But to the surprise of the lead investigator on the case, Carricart was released after two weeks, and was subsequently allowed to move to Rome. After French police contacted him for questioning over a second complaint filed in 2000, Carricart killed himself. Bayrou was asked by the parliamentary inquiry whether he had sought information on the case from the investigating magistrate and potentially intervened. He denied intervening in any way. 'My son's life has been destroyed by this,' Martine said. 'At 49, he has no family life, no job. He has been in so many psychiatric units. His skin is damaged from constantly scrubbing himself.' The organisation of priests that ran the school at Bétharram said in March that it accepted responsibility for the 'suffering' of former pupils, and had launched an independent inquiry into what it called 'massive abuse' over decades. Meanwhile, Gélie and the French survivors group have launched their own appeal for anyone affected internationally to contact them. The Bétharram order was a missionary order present across the world, from the UK to Brazil, Thailand and Ivory Coast. 'We think this goes far beyond France,' Gélie said. Another of those grappling with what he called the 'lifelong impact' of the abuse is Laurent, a public sector worker who said he was sexually assaulted in a priest's office and was once punched unconscious for throwing a snowball in the wrong direction in the playground. He has filed a legal complaint for verbal and physical violence and sexual assault. 'The violence wasn't just a slap, it was being beaten to the point of unconsciousness,' said Laurent, now 56. 'In my two years at the school, it was constant humiliation, violence and assaults – the impact of that is lifelong. I'm speaking out now to make sure this can never happen to any child again.' In the UK, the NSPCC offers support to children on 0800 1111, and adults concerned about a child on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adult survivors on 0808 801 0331. In the US, call or text the Childhelp abuse hotline on 800-422-4453. In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
Free Malaysia Today
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
French PM to testify on child abuse scandal
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's popularity rating has dropped below the president's, with only 27% approval. (EPA Images pic) PARIS : French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou faces one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office today as he responds to questions from a parliamentary committee investigating claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school. Bayrou has faced accusations from the opposition that as education minister in the 1990s he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school in southwestern France over many decades. The 73-year-old politician, who served as France's education minister between 1993 and 1997, has denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he calls a campaign of 'destruction' against him. He said his appearance before the committee would give him an 'opportunity to prove that all this was false'. Centrist Bayrou, the sixth prime minister of president Emmanuel Macron's mandate, was named head of government last December. He has been given the daunting task of hauling France out of months of political crisis. Until now Bayrou has managed to survive a no-confidence vote in a divided parliament but the Betharram affair has damaged his credibility and his approval rating has been declining in recent weeks. Bayrou's popularity rating has dropped below that of Macron, according to a poll published last week, with only 27% of French people approving of his work. Analysts have said Bayrou could face further pressure depending on his performance during the hearing, which is set to begin at 5pm today. 'The Betharram school scandal may not be sufficient in itself to bring down Bayrou but could embolden his parliamentary enemies, and supposed friends, to pull the plug on the government for other reasons,' said the Eurasia Group. 'Reasons for dissatisfaction abound,' the political risk consultancy added, pointing to France's budgetary crisis. Macron threw his support behind the embattled prime minister. 'We have talked about it a lot and I know that I have confidence in him,' he told TF1 television yesterday evening, referring to the Betharram affair. 'I know that he will answer all the questions he is asked.' Macron also said he was open to a suggestion by Bayrou to hold a referendum on a plan to reduce France's debt. The two co-rapporteurs of the commission, Paul Vannier and Violette Spillebout, will question Bayrou about what he knew about alleged violence, sexual assault and rape committed at the school near the southwestern town of Pau where Bayrou has been mayor since 2014. Several of his children attended the school, and his wife taught religious studies there. Bayrou's statements have been contradicted by a number of people including his own daughter. In April, Bayrou's eldest daughter accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14. Helene Perlant, who is now 53 and uses her mother's name, said however that her father did not know about the incident. Few in Bayrou's team believe that he will be brought down over the scandal. But 'if he lies before parliament, he's dead' politically, said a supporter of Macron, asking not to be named. Bayrou has survived multiple no-confidence motions partially due to support from the Socialists. But one Socialist lawmaker, who asked not to be named, believed Bayrou was 'politically finished'. Greens have accused him of 'perjury' and have called for his resignation. A Bayrou associate stressed that the prime minister was not the subject of the inquiry. The inquiry focuses on 'the methods used by the state to monitor and prevent violence in schools'. After hearing witnesses, victims and former ministers, the two rapporteurs plan to deliver their conclusions in June. In total, 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Betharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night. 'The state has failed and has not protected the children of Betharram,' said Alain Esquerre, who represents a collective of school survivors.
Associated Press
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated 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. 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.'
Malay Mail
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
‘Politically finished': French PM grilled over child sex abuse scandal
PARIS, May 14 — French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou yesterday faced one of the most delicate moments of his five months in office as he responded to questions from a parliamentary committee investigating claims of sexual abuse at a Catholic school. Bayrou has faced accusations from the opposition that as education minister in the 1990s he knew of widespread physical and sexual abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school in southwestern France over many decades. The 73-year-old politician, who served as France's education minister between 1993 and 1997, has denied any wrongdoing and denounced what he calls a campaign of 'destruction' against him. He said his appearance before the committee would give him an 'opportunity to prove that all this was false'. Centrist Bayrou, the sixth prime minister of President Emmanuel Macron's mandate, was named head of government last December. He has been given the daunting task of hauling France out of months of political crisis. Until now Bayrou has managed to survive a no-confidence vote in a divided parliament but the Betharram affair has damaged his credibility and his approval rating has been declining in recent weeks. Bayrou's popularity rating has dropped below that of Macron, according to a poll published last week, with only 27 per cent of French people approving of his work. Analysts have said Bayrou could face further pressure depending on his performance during the hearing, which is set to begin at 5.00pm (11pm Malaysia time) yesterday. 'The Betharram school scandal may not be sufficient in itself to bring down Bayrou but could embolden his parliamentary enemies, and supposed friends, to pull the plug on the government for other reasons,' said the Eurasia Group. 'Reasons for dissatisfaction abound,' the political risk consultancy added, pointing to France's budgetary crisis. 'I have confidence in him' Macron threw his support behind the embattled prime minister. 'We have talked about it a lot and I know that I have confidence in him,' he told TF1 television yesterday evening, referring to the Betharram affair. 'I know that he will answer all the questions he is asked.' Macron also said he was open to a suggestion by Bayrou to hold a referendum on a plan to reduce France's debt. The two co-rapporteurs of the commission, Paul Vannier and Violette Spillebout, will question Bayrou about what he knew about alleged violence, sexual assault and rape committed at the school near the southwestern town of Pau where Bayrou has been mayor since 2014. Several of his children attended the school, and his wife taught religious studies there. Bayrou's statements have been contradicted by a number of people including his own daughter. In April, Bayrou's eldest daughter accused the clergy running the school of systemic abuse, saying a priest beat her during summer camp when she was 14. Helene Perlant, who is now 53 and uses her mother's name, said however that her father did not know about the incident. Few in Bayrou's team believe that he will be brought down over the scandal. But 'if he lies before parliament, he's dead' politically, said a supporter of Macron, asking not to be named. Bayrou has survived multiple no-confidence motions partially due to support from the Socialists. But one Socialist lawmaker, who asked not to be named, believed Bayrou was 'politically finished'. Greens have accused him of 'perjury' and have called for his resignation. A Bayrou associate stressed that the prime minister was not the subject of the inquiry. The inquiry focuses on 'the methods used by the state to monitor and prevent violence in schools'. After hearing witnesses, victims and former ministers, the two rapporteurs plan to deliver their conclusions in June. In total, 200 legal complaints have been filed since February last year accusing priests and staff at Betharram of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004. Some of the boarders said the experience had scarred them for life, recounting how some priests visited boys at night. 'The state has failed and has not protected the children of Betharram,' said Alain Esquerre, who represents a collective of school survivors. — AFP
