The Congregation of the Benedictines of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, a French community born at the end of the 19th century in the context of the National Vow and devotion to the Sacred Heart, is now facing an internal crisis that has led to an independent report on spiritual abuses and dynamics of psychological control.
These are nuns inspired by Benedictine spirituality, whose life revolves around liturgical prayer, adoration, and an apostolate of welcoming and accompanying pilgrims who arrive at the Sacré-Cœur sanctuary in Paris. Their contemplative vocation placed at the service of worship and pilgrimage is what gives particular prominence to the current situation: the report does not affect a small isolated group, but a community linked to one of the most emblematic places of Catholic spirituality in France.
An external report after 18 months of work
The document, dated January 2026 and published by Tribune Chrétienne, did not arise suddenly. According to the timeline gathered in the report itself, the congregation began an internal review in June 2021, opened work with former members in 2022, and in February 2023, published a statement asking for forgiveness and calling to “do everything in the light” through an external investigation. The report is, therefore, the step from statements to verifiable commitments.
The commission states that it conducted 159 interviews (about 310 hours) with nuns, former nuns, priests, bishops, and laypeople. It also claims to have interviewed all 86 nuns who were members at the time without any refusing, reaching the conclusion that these are not isolated incidents, but a system of functioning that was progressively installed and affected the inner freedom and spiritual health of numerous nuns.
Spiritual and psychological abuses
The report describes a climate of “emprise” (domination) sustained over time: pressure mechanisms that translated into forced obedience, fear of dissenting, and reduction of personal conscience to criteria imposed by authority. Among the elements highlighted are:
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Control of inner life: manipulation of conscience under spiritual language, using obedience to neutralize objections.
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Isolation: distancing from family and surroundings, with suspicion toward external perspectives.
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Surveillance and denunciation: a climate of mutual control that hindered freedom and fostered silence.
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Verbal violence and humiliations: degrading corrections and intimidating treatment.
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Organized hyperactivity: an imposed rhythm to prevent reflection, rest, and discernment.
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Problematic use of medication: in some cases, the report mentions prolonged “medicinal submission.”
The document warns that, in a religious framework, these dynamics are aggravated when control is cloaked in spirituality: the harm is not only psychological, but also moral and of faith, because it touches the core of freedom of conscience.
Reparation: from “forgiveness” to concrete measures
Among the proposed measures are: official public recognition of the abuses, assumption of certain healthcare expenses, review of unfair economic situations, reinforced accompaniment for those who leave the community, and, when necessary, adapted charitable subsidies. The commission insists that reparation cannot remain in generic formulas.
The report also acknowledges changes initiated since 2014, “strongly amplified since 2020,” and speaks of improvements in community life. But it warns that the balance remains fragile and that habits “acquired or imposed for nearly fifty years” are not corrected without prolonged work.
In its diagnosis, the commission describes a long-term framework with features such as isolation, surveillance, imposed silence, and denunciation, and maintains that a dynamic of psychological control and spiritual abuse was established there.
For this reason, it calls for prolonged accompaniment, an external perspective, and a new evaluation in 18 to 24 months. The thesis is clear: the future cannot be built on burying what happened, but with official recognition and control mechanisms.
The congregation thus receives the report as a roadmap and commits to studying, prioritizing, and implementing 58 recommendations, with a view to the general chapter in October 2026, in coordination with ecclesiastical authorities. The underlying point is not “turning the page,” but reforming structures, practices, and mindsets to prevent these deviations from recurring.