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Pope says sex abuse is ‘demonic’ as he weighs in on new scandal in French church

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Pope says sex abuse is ‘demonic’ as he weighs in on new scandal in French church
News

News

Pope says sex abuse is ‘demonic’ as he weighs in on new scandal in French church

2024-09-14 02:57 Last Updated At:03:01

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis called sexual abuse “demonic” on Friday as he weighed in on the latest sex assault revelations against a legendary French priest, Abbe Pierre, who devoted his life to advocating for the homeless.

Abbé Pierre, who died in 2007, was one of France’s most beloved public figures. The founder of the international Emmaus Community for the poor, Abbé Pierre had served as part of France’s conscience since the 1950s, when he persuaded Parliament to pass a law — still on the books — forbidding landlords to evict tenants during winter.

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Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis attends a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis attends a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis attends a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis attends a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis listens to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis listens to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Emmaus International this week revealed that it had substantiated 17 more claims against its late founder, adding to the seven that were made public in July when it revealed the claims amounted to “sexual assault or sexual harassment.” The scandal set off outrage among French Catholics, for whom Abbe Pierre was a hero and icon.

Francis was asked during an in-flight press conference coming home from Asia about what the Vatican knew and when about Abbe Pierre, given reports that at least some people close to him knew of his impulsive sexual behavior.

Francis said he didn’t know when exactly the Holy See had learned about his abuse, but that it was after he had died.

He called Abbe Pierre a “terrible sinner” but that such a “shameful crime” was also the “human condition.”

“He’s a man who did so much good, but he’s also a sinner. We have to speak clearly about these things, and not hide them,” he said. “Abuse is in my judgment is something demonic, because every type of abuse destroys the dignity of the person.”

According to Emmaus, the new 17 cases involve women who reported behavior similar to that reported by the first seven victims, extending the abuse allegations from 1950s and 2000s. Their claims involved “unsolicited breast touching and forced kisses,” as well as repeated sexual contact with a vulnerable person, sexual penetration with an adult woman and sexual contact with a child, according to Emmaus.

The case of Abbe Pierre is the latest involving a revered, charismatic Catholic leader who turns out to have been a sexual predator. It is similar in some ways to the scandal involving another French icon, Jean Vanier, who founded the L’Arche movement to care for people with disabilities and was later found to have engaged in misconduct with adult women.

Francis had to confront a similar case during his visit to East Timor. Timorese Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo won the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent campaign for independence, but the Vatican revealed in 2022 that he had been sanctioned for sexually abusing young boys. Belo was allowed by St. John Paul II to retire quietly in 2002, and the Holy See has never revealed what it knew and when about his crimes.

Francis didn’t mention Belo by name while he was in East Timor, where Belo is still revered and many Timorese refuse to believe he was an abuser. But Francis did condemn “abuse” in general terms upon arrival in Dili.

Emmaus and the Abbe Pierre Foundation announced a series of steps to distance themselves from their founder, including changes to the foundation’s name and Emmaus logos and closing a memorial dedicated to the priest.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis attends a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis attends a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis attends a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis attends a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis listens to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis listens to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

Pope Francis holds a news conference aboard the papal plane on his flight back after his 12-day journey across Southeast Asia and Oceania, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024. (Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Photo via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A$AP Rocky turned down a final prosecution plea offer of 180 days in jail, risking the possibility of a guilty verdict and years in prison as jury selection began at his trial on Tuesday.

The agreement offered to the 36-year-old hip-hop star, fashion mogul and actor was to plead guilty to one of two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Los Angeles County prosecutors would also recommend a seven-year suspended sentence, three years of probation and the six-month jail term.

But Rocky, whose legal name is Rakim Mayers, told a judge he respectfully declined.

He is accused of firing at a former friend near a Hollywood hotel in 2021, and could get a maximum sentence of 24 years in prison if convicted. He has pleaded not guilty.

Rocky's attorney Joe Tacopina also revealed for the first time in court Tuesday that the defense plans to call witnesses to testify that a firearm seen on a security video is a starter pistol that Rocky carried as a prop for security.

A panel of more than 100 prospective jurors were summoned to the downtown Los Angeles courtroom and packed into the gallery. Opening statements will come once 12 of them and alternates are seated. That won't be until at least Wednesday, when selection is set to resume. Cameras will be allowed in the courtroom starting with openings.

The Grammy-nominated hip-hop star's longtime partner is Rihanna, and the couple have two toddler sons together. Tacopina suggested that it's unlikely the pop star will show up in court.

Rocky has been named one of the celebrity chairs of the Met Gala in May, and has a major role in a Spike Lee-directed film with Denzel Washington to be released soon after. But his life could be upended with a conviction.

Superior Court Judge Mark Arnold has said he hopes to seat a jury quickly, and is keeping strict limits on how long attorneys can question prospective jurors.

“Mr. Mayers is an entertainer," Arnold told the prospective jurors. "His stage name is A$AP rocky. His life partner is also an entertainer. Her name is Rihanna. Because Mr. Mayers is an entertainer, a celebrity, that cannot harm him, and it cannot benefit him."

Of the initial 12 jurors questioned, four said they knew who Rocky was, and 10 said they knew who Rihanna was.

In 2023, another judge ruled after a preliminary hearing that Rocky should stand trial on charges that he fired a gun at Terell Ephron, a childhood friend who testified that their relationship had soured and a feud came to a head on the night of Nov. 6, 2021. Ephron testified that bullets grazed his knuckles.

Initial questioning on Tuesday revealed that the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires have affected many of the potential jurors' lives, including one woman who is fostering many displaced animals, and at least one man who had to evacuate. The judge himself revealed he had to evacuate from his home for 11 days.

“Luckily the house didn’t burn down," Arnold said.

One man was excused early in the process because he said his anti-gun feelings were too strong for him to be fair.

Tacopina tried to explore the potential jurors' feelings about hip-hop artists and their music, and several said they had negative feelings, though not overwhelming ones. Some cited parenting as the reason.

“I used to love it but then I had a kid,” one panelist said.

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin, questioning for the prosecution, told those with negative feelings, “You will not be called upon to render a verdict on how you feel about rap music, do you understand that?" All said yes.

Tacopina, who like his client Rocky is from New York and has represented President Donald Trump, also asked whether anyone on the jury is rubbed the wrong way by New Yorkers, bringing laughs throughout the room.

“When I get up here with this ridiculous accent, which I try not to have but I do, is anyone going to have a problem?" he said. “I will point out that we gave you guys the Dodgers a few years ago.”

No one conceded any negative feelings.

“I love LA," the lawyer added.

FILE - A$AP Rocky, left, and Rihanna attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York on Sept. 13, 2021. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - A$AP Rocky, left, and Rihanna attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala in New York on Sept. 13, 2021. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Rapper A$AP Rocky at Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Rapper A$AP Rocky at Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 9, 2019. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Rapper A$AP Rocky appears in a Los Angeles Superior courtroom on Aug. 17, 2022, where he pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool, File)

FILE - Rapper A$AP Rocky appears in a Los Angeles Superior courtroom on Aug. 17, 2022, where he pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool, File)

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