Emmaus (charity)

Emmaus is a charity movement that began with the humanitarian actions and beliefs of French Catholic priest Abbé Pierre, starting around 1949. Pierre created a system of communities for people in need that provided support, education, and a sense of purpose. Pierre expanded his work through many countries in the coming decades, and in 1971, Emmaus International was founded. The name “Emmaus” refers to an ancient town near Palestine in which, according to the Bible, a resurrected Jesus reappeared to some of his disciples. The Biblical story of Emmaus has become a symbol of people discovering, or rediscovering, hope and faith in Christianity and related beliefs.

In the twenty-first century, Emmaus continued to protect and support people in need, often people in impoverished nations exploited by unfair economic systems. The organization also began promoting plans to protect the environment. In the 2020s, Emmaus included over 350 organizations in thirty-seven countries throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe.

Background

The main figure in the Emmaus movement was French Catholic priest Abbé Pierre (1912–2007). During World War II, he gained a reputation for resisting the Nazi occupation of France and helping people who faced Nazi persecution. These actions built in him a strong sense of social activism. Following the war, Pierre and other like-minded reformers worked to provide housing and resources for unhoused and hopeless people in France. The beginning of the Emmaus movement is generally observed as November 1949, when Pierre and others started communities in response to a housing crisis. During this time, they also offered counseling, mentoring, and comforting people who had lost their hope. The first of these people, or “companions,” was Georges Legay, a former prisoner who had attempted suicide.

In 1954, frustrated by a lack of governmental assistance, Pierre began speaking out. He made widespread appeals to the people of France and beyond to help combat problems of poverty and homelessness, especially in light of a particularly cruel winter. Donations and support poured in, and Pierre took his cause on the road. He began traveling to other countries, spreading a similar message of cooperation to help those in need. In the coming decades, he or his associates would travel to India, Chile, Benin, Bosnia, Burkina Faso, Togo, and many other lands.

While visiting Latin America in 1963, Pierre almost lost his life during a shipwreck. This brush with death made Pierre realize that the movement had to be organized and safeguarded so it would continue even after his passing. This push led to the organization of Emmaus International in 1971. In the coming decades, the organization grew as more groups joined, though it maintained the essential teachings and goals that had been set out by Pierre.

In September 2024, Emmaus France, Emmaus International, and the Abbé Pierre Foundation issued a joint statement announcing their plans to separate their work from founder Abbé Pierre’s legacy following an independent report detailing the priest’s previously unknown deviant behavior. The report revealed Pierre had sexually assaulted numerous women and at least one child between the 1950s and the early 2000s. The organization closed the memorial site and museum dedicated to Pierre’s legacy and began other processes to eliminate the founder’s name and image from their logo and name.

Overview

The modern international Emmaus organization is based on several foundational documents that establish the structure, mission, and features of the group. The first of these, adopted in Berne, Switzerland, in 1969, is known as the Universal Manifesto as it sets out the rules for the unified global Emmaus organization. This document describes the overarching goal of the group to “serve first those who suffer most.”

Ten years later, in 1979, Emmaus leaders reinforced and expanded the universal manifesto. They adopted the “Scope and Limits of Emmaus’s Social Commitment.” This document clarified that, while individual Emmaus groups may differ in matters of religion or politics, they will always work together to reduce human suffering.

More recent foundational documents include the “Principles and Membership Charter,” created in 1996 to help other organizations seeking alliance with Emmaus understand that group’s unique identity and goals. The “Solidarity Commitments” of 1999 sought to update and elaborate upon Emmaus ideals and beliefs as the world entered the twenty-first century.

Emmaus members are united by a belief that societies and economies around the world have become unacceptably unfair and unsustainable, leading to widespread suffering. The main culprits are economic systems and beliefs that promote unchecked competition and the creation of vast wealth for the chosen few. According to Emmaus, these corrupt economic systems are based on post- and neo-colonial mindsets that condemn millions to live in poverty while the richest 1 percent capitalize on their work and resources.

Members of Emmaus groups seek to go beyond localized reforms to change international and interregional economic agreements in ways that will support human rights and ecosystem protection. Part of this task includes tracing economic injustice beyond work areas themselves to other financial powers such as banks, insurance companies, and investment funds that demand profits and production regardless of the toll they take on people’s basic needs and living conditions. In addition, many of these organizations routinely evade taxation, thus depriving governments of the funding they need to support their people.

Emmaus also tracks and opposes more specific manifestations of this imbalanced economic state. For example, members target cases of forced labor and human trafficking, situations affecting millions around the world. In addition, Emmaus tracks social and economic inequality between the sexes, noting that in many parts of the world, women earn less than men and sometimes face longer and harsher working conditions.

To pursue their goals, Emmaus members seek to partner with people who have been excluded or exploited. By organizing and resisting mistreatment, these people can help to turn the tide in their favor. They can free themselves of dependence on exploitative work, demand a fair share of profits and resources, and regain and protect human rights and dignities that had been denied them. Some specific fields of reform pursued by Emmaus include recycling programs, improved agricultural ecology, better access to safe food and water, more accessible education and housing, and protection from violence and discrimination.

Emmaus representatives seek to support these movements in many ways, such as by spreading awareness of world crises, bringing power to disenfranchised people to improve their own lives, and promoting policies that protect the environment and natural resources. Emmaus sees the natural world as vital, and closely linked, to the human world. By creating sustainable environmental practices, reformers may help combat climate change, provide resources for those in need, and preserve nature for future generations.

Bibliography

Martin, Douglas. "Abbé Pierre, 94, French Priest Who Aided the Homeless, Dies." New York Times, 23 Jan. 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/01/23/world/europe/23pierre.html. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

"Our History." Emmaus International, www.emmaus-international.org/en/our-history. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

“Our Struggles.” Emmaus International, www.emmaus-international.org/en/who-we-are/our-struggles. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

"Sexual Abuse Allegations Shatter a Crusading Priest’s Legacy." New York Times, 14 Sept. 2024, www.nytimes.com/2024/09/14/world/europe/abbe-pierre-sexual-abuse-france.html

"What We Do." Emmaus International, www.emmaus-international.org/en/what-we-do. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

“Who We Are.” Emmaus International, www.emmaus-international.org/en/who-we-are. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.