French Prime Minister François Bayrou is set to face a critical moment in his five-month tenure as he appears before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday to address allegations of sexual and physical abuse at a Catholic school during his time as education minister in the 1990s.
Bayrou, 73, is accused by opposition parties of having been aware of long-standing abuse at the Notre-Dame de Betharram school in southwestern France when he served as education minister from 1993 to 1997. He has strongly denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations a “campaign of destruction”.
“This hearing will allow me to prove all of this is false,” Bayrou said over the weekend.
Appointed in December as President Emmanuel Macron’s sixth prime minister, Bayrou has been tasked with restoring political stability to France. Though he has so far survived no-confidence votes, the Betharram scandal has eroded his credibility and public support. A recent poll showed his approval rating falling to 27%, dropping below Macron’s for the first time.
The parliamentary hearing, scheduled for 5:00 PM local time, could further determine Bayrou’s political future. According to the Eurasia Group, “The Betharram school scandal may not be enough to topple Bayrou alone, but it could embolden rivals in parliament to challenge his leadership for other reasons — especially amid France’s ongoing budget crisis.”
Bayrou will be questioned by commission co-rapporteurs Paul Vannier and Violette Spillebout regarding what he knew about alleged abuse at the school, which is located in the town of Pau, where he has served as mayor since 2014. His personal ties to the school run deep: his children were students there, and his wife taught religious studies.
Notably, Bayrou’s eldest daughter, Hélène Perlant, publicly accused the clergy of systemic abuse and revealed that she herself was beaten by a priest at the age of 14 during summer camp. However, she insisted that her father was unaware of the incident.
Some members of Bayrou’s own coalition doubt the scandal will unseat him — unless he is caught lying during the hearing. “If he lies before parliament, he’s dead,” said an anonymous Macron ally.
While Bayrou has retained some support, including from the Socialists, critics are circling. The Greens have accused him of perjury and are demanding his resignation, while a Socialist lawmaker declared him “politically finished.”
Bayrou is not a formal subject of the inquiry, which focuses broadly on how the state failed to monitor and prevent abuse in schools. The commission has so far heard from victims, former ministers, and other witnesses, with a final report due in late June.
Since February 2024, over 200 legal complaints have been filed alleging abuse at the Betharram school between 1957 and 2004. Victims have described decades of systemic violence, including priests visiting children at night.
“The state failed to protect the children of Betharram,” said Alain Esquerre, a representative for the survivors’ collective. On Monday, one victim’s father accused Bayrou of lying for the sake of his political career.
