Interview between Abbé Pierre and Frédéric Lenoir
Plon, October 2005
Presentation
In a confidential tone, with total freedom of mind, Abbé Pierre delivers, here, as he has never done before, his questions, his convictions, and his indignations about the Christian faith and the meaning of human life.
Original sin, Jesus and Mary Magdalene, celibacy and chastity of priests, religious fanaticism, George Bush's crusade, the place of women in the Church, same-sex marriage, the problem of evil and suffering, the place of Christianity among other religions: so many essential questions that the founder of Emmaus addresses without complacency.
What the press says about it
“A small book that is a jewel of wisdom and humanity… to be taken for what it is: the testimony of common sense from a public figure who says out loud what so many men of the Church experience quietly…” Le Monde
"Abbé Pierre is a generous man, no Catholic taboo can resist him" Le Figaro
"May the testimony of Abbé Pierre encourage the idea that it is beautiful to love, even when this love has the face etched with a fidelity that knows – even in its own flesh – the price of renunciation that it has paid to unfold itself." La Croix
“Act until the last breath. Take advantage of the media to advance his cause. And bear witness in truth, as a man of faith, free, as he does in this little work in which he opens up intimately” Le Journal du dimanche
"This booklet is the fruit of several conversations (around fifty over a year) between Abbé Pierre and Frédéric Lenoir. It is undoubtedly the most intimate work he has published in recent years... At 93, the founder of Emmaüs returns to the sources of his commitment: the mystery of faith... Abbé Pierre is throwing a spanner in the works. His positions will comfort some and shock others. This "insurgent of God" is not just an icon..." Le Point
"It's a bombshell in the calm land of Christian thought... With simple words that are both economical and audacious, the most popular man in France, in a series of short texts, addresses all the taboo subjects within the Catholic Church: same-sex marriage, their desire for children, the ordination of women (he is for), the virginity of Mary and the role of Mary Magdalene with Jesus. Frédéric Lenoir, who very talentedly helped the founder of Emmaüs to write these meditations - subtitled Convictions, questions and indignations on the Christian faith - says that the latter, "stimulated" by the turn taken by John Paul II with the recognition of the validity of the theory of evolution, had been tormented for eighteen months by hundreds of theological questions. On the meaning of creation, in particular. What is the purpose of life? Love, replies Abbé Pierre, love, when it is the meeting point of two freedoms; love that is not always synonymous with happiness; love that is sometimes accompanied by suffering" L'Express
Translations – other editions
Germany: DEUTSCHER TASCHENBUCH VERLAG (dtv)
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France: LES EDITIONS A VUE D'ŒIL
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Italy: GARZANTI LIBRI Srl
Japan: SHINKYO SHUPPANSHA
Netherlands: UITGEVERIJ TEN HAVE
Poland: VIDEOGRAF II
Portugal: DOM QUIXOTE/GRUPO LEYA
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Slovakia: EDITIONS SOFA
Slovenia: UCILA INTERNATIONAL
Switzerland: WCC PUBLICATIONS