Henri Groues said the Abbe Pierre (born August 5, 1912 in
Lyon, France) is a French priest and founder of Emmaus in 1949, an organization
for the poor and refugees. Child of a wealthy family of wealthy and pious Lyon silk,
his father, a man of kindness, was the poorest, sometimes taking his children,
seven in number, which is the third. At age 12, he accompanied his father to
the secular fraternity Watchers Hospital, where citizens are hairdresser’s
barbers for the poor.
At age 16, he wants to be Franciscan; however it will have
to wait 17 years and a half. In this regard he said “They told me handsome,
maybe even a little mundane, yet the next day I will be a monk.”
In 1931, he waives any heritage and joined the Capuchins. In
religion, Henry becomes Groues brother Philip. In 1932, he entered the cloister
of the convent Crest. He was ordained in 1938. In April 1939, he became curate
in Grenoble. The Second World War where he was mobilized as a non commissioned
officer in the train crew in December 1939.
In July 1942, two Jews persecuted ask him for help. He then
discovers the persecution and undertakes immediately learns to make false papers.
In August, he began to spend Jews in Switzerland. He participated in the
creation of scrub in the Vercors and Chartreuse.
It helps refractory compulsory labor service (STO). It takes
the name of Abbe Pierre underground. In 1944, he cut in Spain, and then joined
Charles de Gaulle in Algiers. He became a prominent figure of the Resistance.
After the war, he was a member of Meurthe -ET-Moselle both
constituent national assembly’s (1945-1946), as an independent related to
Popular Republican Movement (MRP) and the National Assembly from 1946 to 1951,
where he serves on MRP group. In 1947, he was vice - president of the World
Confederation universal federalist movement. With Albert Camus and Andre Gide,
he founded the Committee to support Garry Davis, citizen of the world.
He founded in 1949 the Emmaus Association (named after one
of the episodes of the Gospels) to assist poor, especially the homeless. It begins,
as soon as 1950 the Emmaus Neuilly -Plaisance community. The Emmaus communities
are financed through the sale of materials and recycled objects and build housing.
It is a secular organization. The parliamentary left the Palais Bourbon in the
evening to join the beggars, the destitute.
Great athlete, he does not hesitate to make spectacular
dives to attract public attention and media. In 1952, he participated in the
game “Double Down “to power his battle financially, where you earn 254,000
francs. Abbe Pierre acquired its reputation from the very cold winter of 1954,
deadly for the homeless for “uprising of kindness." "There is 50
years old, all had barely atrocities of war. All had fled, everyone felt close
to refugees. People remembered the suffering and fear. They were more willing
to respond. But it does not renew historical facts like that. " The young
priest launched on 1 February 1954 a call on the air Radio Luxembourg (RTL):
"My friends, help ... A woman has died frost that night at 3 am, on the
pavement of Sevastopol Boulevard, clutching at her paper in which the day
before yesterday, they had expelled. Before their dying brothers of misery, one
opinion must exist between the men will make it impossible as it lasts. Please,
let us enough right now to do that. That much pain we have made this wonderful thing:
the common soul of France, thank you! Each of us can help the homeless. We have
tonight and tomorrow at the latest: 500 000 blankets, 300 tents major U.S., 200
catalytic stoves. Thanks to you, no man, no kid, not tonight lie on the asphalt
or the banks of Paris. Thank you. “The next day, the press headlined on the “uprising
of kindness," The call will bring 500 million francs in donations.
In 2005, in his book, My God ... why? , Written with Frederic
Lenoir, he said he had sex when he was bound by his oath of abstinence. None of
his relationships lasted because he was torn between his desire and his vow of
celibacy. In this regard, he advocates a policy reform of the Church in favor
of the marriage of priests. And does not include the prohibition of John Paul
II and Benedict XVI as they allow married priests in the Eastern countries. In
addition, he sees this authorization a way to fight against the lack of new
members of the Church.
They also favor the ordination of women and do not oppose
same-sex parenting , provided that children suffer no psychological or social
harm , including explains his opinion on the fact that "a classic parental
model n ' is not necessarily a guarantee of happiness and balance for the child.
" But he says against marriage and prefers to substitute an
"alliance" homosexual, According to him; gay marriage would
"create trauma and a strong social destabilization.”
The image of the tall, bearded man in a cassock, in large
cape and boots quickly forge its status as “legendary hero " and
"right." It was very popular in France, opinion surveys which measure
often put in mind, including the annual Journal du Dimanche. He asked to be
removed from the list of nominees. "It is both a weapon and a cross,"
he says.
Even in the last years of his life, despite his illness and
age, he took to the streets to support the cause of the poor. He gave her
credibility and supported the association Right to Housing (DAL), which in the 1990s,
continues to shake up the authorities, whatever their political color,
commandeering houses left empty by their owners.
Summoned to the headquarters of the Boulogne LICRA in 1998 ,
he preferred to lose the title of Honorary President to remain a friend of the
controversial author Roger Garaudy without approve all positions thereof . On 1
February 2004, 50 years after his first call, Abbe Pierre has launched a new
call for solidarity from the esplanade du Trocadero in Paris, in front of 6000
people to overcome the neglect.
He left us Monday, January 22, 2007 at 5:25 at the hospital
Val -de- Grace (Paris) at the age of 94 years following a declared Sunday,
January 14, 2007 lung infection.
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Biography