PARIS (FRANCE)
Le Monde [Paris, France]
February 21, 2025
By William Audureau, Romain Imbach, Adel Miliani, Léa Prati, and Maxime Vaudano
Former pupils of a Catholic school in the Pyrenées have complained of sexual and physical abuse, and François Bayrou, who has ties to the school, has been accused by political opponents of dishonesty over his knowledge of the allegations.
For the past two weeks, French Prime Minister François Bayrou has been embroiled in the scandal over allegations of sexual assault and rape at a Catholic school in the Pyrenées, Notre-Dame de Bétharram, near Pau, of which he has been mayor since 2014.
Bayrou denies having any knowledge of the alleged violence and abuse against pupils spanning decades at the Notre-Dame de Bétharram school, but has been accused by opponents of misleading parliament by claiming he was unaware of the case while he was involved in local government in the area, and during his time as education minister. Here’s what we know so far about the case.
What is the Notre-Dame de Bétharram affair?
This private Catholic school, located in Lestelle-Bétharram, between Lourdes and Pau, and known for its strict regime, is mired in allegations of physical, psychological and sexual abuse against pupils from the 1950s until 2010. Despite several alerts and complaints since the 1990s, the full extent of the allegations has only recently come to light. The creation of a Facebook group at the end of 2023 by former pupils who were victims of abuse led to several complaints being filed – 114 to date. This triggered a judicial investigation by the Pau prosecutor’s office and the publication of…