French Prime Minister François Bayrou Faces Parliamentary Inquiry Over Notre-Dame de Bétharram Abuse Scandal
Paris, May 14, 2025 – French Prime Minister François Bayrou is set to testify under oath today at 5:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) before a parliamentary committee investigating allegations of systemic physical and sexual abuse at Notre-Dame de Bétharram, a private Catholic school in southwestern France. The hearing, described as a pivotal moment in Bayrou’s five-month premiership, comes amid accusations that he knew about the abuse during his tenure as education minister from 1993 to 1997 and as a local official in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region, yet failed to act. The scandal, which has drawn over 200 legal complaints spanning 1957 to 2004, has severely damaged Bayrou’s credibility, with his approval rating dropping to 27%, below that of President Emmanuel Macron, according to a recent IFOP poll.
The Notre-Dame de Bétharram school, located near Bayrou’s hometown of Pau, where he has been mayor since 2014, is at the heart of the controversy. Allegations of violence, sexual assault, and rape by priests and staff have surfaced, with victims recounting harrowing experiences, including nighttime assaults by clergy. A 2023 Facebook group formed by former pupil Alain Esquerre, a survivor who authored a book on the scandal, led to a surge in complaints, with nearly half involving sexual violence. Esquerre has accused the state of failing to protect Bétharram’s children, a sentiment echoed by victims’ groups demanding accountability.
Bayrou, a centrist appointed by Macron in December 2024 to stabilize France’s political crisis, has denied wrongdoing, calling the accusations a “campaign of destruction.” He claims he was unaware of the abuse’s extent, citing a 1996 Education Ministry inspection he ordered that concluded the school was not a place of brutalization. However, investigative outlet Mediapart has published witness statements and documents suggesting Bayrou “could not have been unaware” of the allegations. Former investigator Alain Hontangs testified that a judge informed him in 1998 that Bayrou, then president of the local council, had intervened in a rape investigation involving the school’s former principal, Pierre Silviet-Carricart. Judge Christian Mirande confirmed discussing the case with Bayrou, though he noted local media had already reported it.
The scandal took a personal turn in April when Bayrou’s eldest daughter, Hélène Perlant, 53, revealed she was beaten by a priest at a Bétharram summer camp in 1987, when she was 14. Perlant, who shared her story in Esquerre’s book and a Paris Match interview, described being dragged by her hair and kicked, an ordeal that left her traumatized. She stated she only informed her father shortly before the story went public, supporting his claim of ignorance about her specific case. However, her account has fueled accusations of systemic denial, with Perlant noting, “The more entangled we are, the less we see.” Bayrou, whose wife taught religious studies at the school and three of his six children attended, expressed personal anguish, saying the revelations “stab me in the heart as a father.”
Opposition lawmakers, particularly from the left-wing France Unbowed (La France Insoumise), have accused Bayrou of lying to parliament, with MP Paul Vannier, a co-rapporteur of the inquiry, alleging Bayrou repeated falsehoods before victims. Posts on X, such as those from @MarieMesmeur and @MathildePanot, reflect public outrage, with calls for Bayrou’s resignation over claims he covered up “pedocriminality.” The Greens have labeled his actions “perjury,” while a Socialist lawmaker anonymously told the Times of India that Bayrou is “politically finished.” Conversely, Bayrou’s allies, including Macron, who expressed confidence in him on TF1 television, argue the inquiry focuses on state oversight, not Bayrou personally. A senior Macron supporter warned that lying under oath could end Bayrou’s career.
The inquiry, led by co-rapporteurs Vannier and Violette Spillebout, aims to examine state mechanisms for preventing school violence, with conclusions expected in June. Bayrou has vowed to support victims, promising additional magistrates to investigate and explore aid for cases beyond the statute of limitations. However, his handling of a concurrent budget crisis—proposing a referendum on €40 billion in savings—has drawn criticism for indecisiveness, with center-right leader Laurent Wauquiez accusing him of “kicking the can down the road.”
As Bayrou prepares for today’s high-stakes testimony, analysts like the Eurasia Group suggest the scandal, while not sufficient alone to topple him, could embolden opponents in a divided parliament, where he has survived no-confidence votes thanks to Socialist support. The hearing’s outcome will likely shape Bayrou’s political future and France’s reckoning with institutional abuse in Catholic schools.
Sources: POLITICO, France24, Le Monde, Reuters, Times of India, BBC, Mediapart, X postsweb:12♦post:1