Abbé Pierre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Rev.
Abbé Pierre
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Pierre in 1999
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| Born |
Henri Marie Joseph Grouès
5 August 1912 |
| Died | 22 January 2007 (aged 94) |
Abbé Pierre (born Henri Marie Joseph Grouès; August 5, 1912 – January 22, 2007) was a famous French Catholic priest. He was a member of the Resistance during World War II. He also served as a deputy (like a member of parliament) for a short time.
In 1949, he started the Emmaus movement. This group helps people who are poor, homeless, and refugees. Abbé Pierre was one of the most loved people in France for many years.
Contents
Early Life and Becoming a Priest
Henri Grouès was born on August 5, 1912, in Lyon, France. His family was wealthy and worked with silk. He was the fifth of eight children. When he was 12, he started helping poor people with his father.
He joined the Scouts de France and was known as "Meditative Beaver." At 17, he decided to become a monk. In 1931, Grouès joined the Capuchin Order, a branch of the Franciscans. He gave away all his money and belongings to charity.
He became known as frère Philippe (Brother Philippe). In 1932, he entered a monastery and became a Roman Catholic priest on August 24, 1938. He had to leave the monastery in 1939 because of serious lung problems. He then became a chaplain (a priest who serves a special group) and later a curate at a cathedral in Grenoble.
Helping During World War II
When World War II began in 1939, Henri Grouès joined the army. His official story says he helped Jewish people escape Nazi persecution. This started after big arrests in Paris in July 1942. He learned how to make fake passports and guided Jewish people to safety in Switzerland.
He got the name "Abbé Pierre" during his work with the French Resistance. He used different names to stay hidden. In Grenoble, a key Resistance center, he helped Jews and others escape to Switzerland. In 1942, he even helped Jacques de Gaulle, the brother of Charles de Gaulle, escape.
Abbé Pierre helped set up a section of the maquis, which were groups of French Resistance fighters. He helped people avoid being forced into Nazi labor programs. He also started a secret newspaper. He was arrested twice but managed to escape. He later joined the Free French Forces in Algeria.
After the war, he received several awards for his bravery. These included the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 and the Médaille de la Résistance.
From Politics to Helping Others
After the war, Abbé Pierre became a deputy (a political representative) in France. He was elected in 1945 and again in 1946. He was part of a Christian democratic political group.
However, he decided to leave politics in 1950. He felt that political parties were not doing enough to help the poor. In 1951, he returned to his main goal: helping homeless people. He used his deputy salary to buy a run-down house near Paris. This house became the first home for the Emmaus movement. He thought the house was too big for one person, so he opened it to others.
Even though he left formal politics, Abbé Pierre continued to speak out on important issues. He tried to help Tunisia gain independence peacefully in 1956. He also met with leaders like US President Eisenhower and Mohammed V of Morocco. In 1971, he went to India to help with Bengali refugees and started Emmaus communities in Bangladesh.
The Emmaus Movement
How Emmaus Started
Emmaus began in 1949. Its name comes from a village in Israel where, according to the Bible, two disciples welcomed Jesus without knowing who he was. This name shows Emmaus's goal: to welcome and help poor and homeless people. It is a non-religious organization. The first Emmaus community was set up in Neuilly-Plaisance, near Paris, in 1950.
Emmaus communities raise money by selling used items. This money helps build homes for those in need. Abbé Pierre once said that Emmaus is about "wheelbarrows, shovels, and pickaxes coming before banners." It's about practical help for people who are struggling.
In 1952, Abbé Pierre went on a radio game show to win money for Emmaus. He won a large sum, which helped the organization greatly.
The "Uprising of Kindness" in 1954
Abbé Pierre became very famous during the extremely cold winter of 1954 in France. Many homeless people were dying on the streets. On February 1, 1954, he made a powerful speech on the radio. He also asked a newspaper to print his message.
He said: "My friends, come help... A woman froze to death tonight... clutching the eviction notice... Each night, more than two thousand endure the cold... We must open emergency shelters everywhere." He asked for blankets, tents, and stoves. He urged everyone to help.
The next morning, the newspapers called it an "uprising of kindness." His call for help brought in a huge amount of donations. People sent money and items, and many volunteers came forward. Even Charlie Chaplin donated money.
This overwhelming response showed how much people cared. Abbé Pierre then organized the Emmaus communities more formally in March 1954.
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In an Emmaus community, volunteers give homeless people a place to live, food, and work. Many volunteers are people who were once homeless themselves. Abbé Pierre believed that even those who were struggling could help others. This gave people hope and purpose.
A book called "Abbé Pierre and the ragpickers of Emmaus" helped spread the word about the movement. In 1955, Abbé Pierre even gave a copy of this book to President Eisenhower.
Emmaus communities quickly grew around the world. In 1959, the first Emmaus group in Beyrouth (Beirut, Lebanon) was started by people of different faiths.
Later Years and Important Causes
In the 1980s, Abbé Pierre supported a new welfare system in France for very poor people. He also organized "Charity Christmas" operations, which raised millions of francs and tons of goods. He worked with the actor Coluche, who had started his own charity, the Restos du Cœur. Abbé Pierre saw how useful the media could be in helping charitable causes.
He spoke out against the apartheid regime in South Africa in the 1990s. In 1995, after a long siege in Sarajevo, he went there to ask world leaders to stop the violence. During the Gulf War (1990–91), he spoke directly to US President George H. W. Bush and Iraq President Saddam Hussein. He also met the Dalai Lama to discuss peace.
Abbé Pierre was a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause. He sometimes made comments about the Israeli-Palestine conflict that caused discussion.
In 1996, he faced controversy for supporting a friend, Roger Garaudy. Garaudy had written a book that was seen as denying the Holocaust. Abbé Pierre said he supported his friend as a person, not his book, which he had not read. He stated that he condemned anyone who tried to "deny, make light of, or falsify the Shoah." This event caused him to be less visible in the media for a while, but he remained a popular figure.
Views on the Church
Abbé Pierre sometimes had different views from the Church and the Vatican. He often spoke about social issues in ways that were more left-wing than the Church's official stance. He believed in the ordination of women as priests and for priests to be allowed to marry. These views were not in line with traditional Catholic teachings.
He was known for criticizing what he saw as the Vatican's lavish lifestyle. He once spoke out against John Paul II's expensive travels. Despite these differences, the Vatican recognized his important work for the poor after his death.
Recognition and Legacy
Abbé Pierre was voted France's most popular person for many years. In 2005, he was ranked third in a TV poll for "The Greatest Frenchman."
He received many honors, including the highest French award, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor in 2004. He also received the Balzan Prize in 1991 for his work in humanity, peace, and brotherhood. The award recognized his lifelong fight for human rights and his dedication to helping those in need.
Accidents and Health
Abbé Pierre often had health problems, especially with his lungs when he was young. He also survived several dangerous situations:
- In 1950, his plane had to make an emergency landing in India, but he was unharmed.
- In 1963, his boat sank in the Río de la Plata, between Argentina and Uruguay. He survived by holding onto a piece of wood, while 80 other passengers died. These events made people see him as someone who was "miraculously saved."
Death
Abbé Pierre remained active until he passed away on January 22, 2007, in Paris, at the age of 94. He died from a lung infection.
He continued to support many social causes, such as helping illegal aliens and the homeless. He also supported movements to use empty buildings to house people. Just before his death, he went to the French Parliament to speak against changes to a law about housing for homeless people.
His funeral was held on January 26, 2007, at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Many important people attended, including the French President. However, Abbé Pierre's last wish was for the Emmaus Companions, the people he had helped, to be placed at the front of the church. He was buried in a cemetery in Esteville, a small village where he used to live.
Honours
France:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honor (2004)
Grand Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor (1992)
Commander of the Order of the Legion of Honor (1987)
Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honor (1981)
Recipient of the Médaille militaire
Recipient of the Croix de guerre 1939–1945 with bronze palms
Recipient of the Médaille de la Résistance
Quebec:
Grand Officer of the National Order of stars
Awards
- Balzan Prize
Filmography
- 1955: Les Chiffonniers d'Emmaüs (The Ragpickers of Emmaus)
- 1989: Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre (Winter 54, Abbé Pierre)
- 2023: Abbé Pierre – A Century of Devotion
See also
- Emmaus Mouvement
- Streetwise priest
- List of peace activists
Images for kids
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Pierre in 1999
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Abbé Pierre (1955)
