The Congregation of the Brothers of Saint-Gabriel (FSG) officially and collectively recognizes Thursday, May 12 in Vendée the acts of pedocrime committed by around twenty of its members in the past on around fifty people, a "
first
" according to the organizers of this approach. .
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Twenty-five victims take part, in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre (Vendée) - the historic cradle of the congregation - in this day of "
listening and recognition
".
It is organized by the religious institute, the victims - grouped within the "
Groupe FSG - Collectif 85
" (Vendean victims) and the Recognition and Reparation Commission (CRR, set up in January to offer mediation between institutes Catholics and victims).
"
It's a great first, it's a moment when victims and congregation will be able to talk to each other from group to group
," Antoine Garapon, president of the CRR, told AFP.
Gabriel G, twenty victims
In total, to the Brothers of Saint-Gabriel - a teaching congregation which notably seconded brothers to schools - in Vendée, Finistère, Maine-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique - a little more than twenty attackers (all deceased ) were identified, for events that took place from 1950 to the mid-1970s, on about fifty people, according to the coordinator of this event, Brother Christian Bizon.
Brother Gabriel G. alone assaulted at least twenty children, boys and girls between 1965 and 1972 in two primary schools in Issé (Loire-Atlantique) and Loctudy (Finistère), according to the congregation and the victims, including 17 are present on Thursday.
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Testimonies, reading of the names of the aggressors, and yet another declaration of recognition by the superior responsible for France are planned for this day.
Another singularity: the religious congregation has undertaken to finance a study carried out by a historian from the School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences (EHESS) on the facts committed, "
with a memorial objective
".
"
It's a first step, which will then allow us to move on to the second phase, the reparation
", testified Luc Coirier, one of the victims of the FSG Group - Collectif 85, before the meeting.
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