A flagship of the Catholic Church, "Foyers de Charité", officially reveals on May 7, 2020 that one of its founders, Father Georges Finet (1898-1990) would have delivered - according to the results of a commission launched by the Foyers de Charité in connection with the Conference of Bishops of France and the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life - to sexual abuse of young girls, “from 10 to 14 years old” then in school in boarding school in this work, founded in 1936 in Châteauneuf-de-Galaure in the Drôme.
143 testimonies from former students have been collected since September 2019, the date of the start of investigations by this "independent" commission. Among them, many are positive about the work of this pastor with a strong personality. They even formally deny that such behavior is "conceivable", claiming to have "never encountered a problem" with Father Finet.
But 14 testimonies denounce "a touch of the body" , sometimes "on the skin" and "sometimes unbuttoning and unbuttoning of the penitent's clothes by Father Finet", ensures the document which does not however speak of rapes.
All during “confessions” that took place “in the priest's room” which served as his office, and “late at night” , indicates the Foyers de Charité. The work "attests" that these "stories" of former students are "consistent" . She specifies that 20 testimonies also denounce "insistent and intrusive questions of a sexual nature" during the confessions. The reported facts cover the period 1945 to 1983.
"Painful memory"
This international Catholic work ensures in this document disseminated to the press: "The Foyers de Charité unreservedly condemn Father Finet's actions which are seriously contrary to respect for people". She observes: "The Foyers de Charité reaffirm their firm and irrevocable commitment to promote the fight against pedocrime and all forms of abuse in its communities and in all its activities."
As for the current head of the hostels, Father Moïse Ndione, he assures, about these “seriously deviant acts” : “My thoughts go first to the victims. I thank them for having the courage to testify before the commission, reviving in them the painful memory of the trauma they suffered. On behalf of the Foyers de Charité, I humbly ask their forgiveness and seek with them the best way to recognize what they have experienced. It is essential to seek the truth, first for the victims themselves, and to recognize the wounds inflicted by Father Finet. Their testimony is decisive in enabling the Foyers de Charité to tell the truth about their past and move forward in their reform process. ”
Spiritual radiance
The shock of these revelations is considerable for the Catholic Church because the "Foyers de Charité", very well known - there are 78 in the world - provide spiritual retreats of one week, in silence, aimed at "holiness" at daily and welcoming 50,000 retreatants per year, the majority of whom are lay people and families. Several "Foyers" also have attached educational establishments which are often renowned for their reliability and results.
Above all, the work was founded in connection with Marthe Robin (1902-1981), a mystic whose process of beatification is underway in Rome. Its spiritual influence has been, and remains, decisive for a multitude of works, foundations, vocations that have nourished the renewal of the Catholic Church in France in particular, since the Second Vatican Council.