Personal Friend of Chiara Lubich Accused of Homosex Abuses
Jean-Michel Merlin, a consecrated member of the Focolare Movement, abused at least 26 underage men between the 1960s and 1990s in France, the British consultancy firm GCPS has concluded (LifeSiteNews.com, May 10).
Eleven cases remain unconfirmed. The Focolare hired GCPS in December 2020 and published the results in March 2022.
The report accuses the movement of facilitating Merlin’s abuse by failing to intervene. In 1998, the movement paid a fine for Merlin after he was indicted for damages against a minor in the 1980s. The Pontifical Council for the Laity required Merlin to leave the Focolare in 2016.
Merlin was intellectually gifted and a personal friend of founder Chiara Lubich (+2008).
His modus operandi consisted in confidence building, organising circumstances to stay overnight and sharing a bedroom with his victims. Some say Merlin attempted to rape them but they resisted and could escape. Others claim an ongoing sexual abuse over several years.
Four men accused Merlin of having them lured into performing oral sex (1981, 1982). He denied these allegations.
Picture: Chiara Lubich © wikicommons, CC BY-SA, #newsNftyojygwn
Eleven cases remain unconfirmed. The Focolare hired GCPS in December 2020 and published the results in March 2022.
The report accuses the movement of facilitating Merlin’s abuse by failing to intervene. In 1998, the movement paid a fine for Merlin after he was indicted for damages against a minor in the 1980s. The Pontifical Council for the Laity required Merlin to leave the Focolare in 2016.
Merlin was intellectually gifted and a personal friend of founder Chiara Lubich (+2008).
His modus operandi consisted in confidence building, organising circumstances to stay overnight and sharing a bedroom with his victims. Some say Merlin attempted to rape them but they resisted and could escape. Others claim an ongoing sexual abuse over several years.
Four men accused Merlin of having them lured into performing oral sex (1981, 1982). He denied these allegations.
Picture: Chiara Lubich © wikicommons, CC BY-SA, #newsNftyojygwn