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Néo-Phare

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Néo-Phare (lit. 'New Lighthouse') was a small French new religious movement, often described as a cult or doomsday cult, founded by Arnaud Mussy in January 2001. It formed through a schism with Phare-Ouest (lit. 'West Lighthouse'), which was founded by the esoteric writer André Bougenec. Bougenec's belief system incorporated Kabbalah and hermeticism, and he also proclaimed that he was God. Mussy joined the group in 1997, and Bougenec died the same year. Viewing the original group as too rigid, Mussy and 20 members left the group and formed Néo-Phare.

Néo-Phare
TypeNew religious movement
HeadquartersCellier
FounderArnaud Mussy
OriginJanuary 2001 (2001-01)
France
Separated fromPhare-Ouest
DefunctOctober 2002; 22 years ago (2002-10)
Members21 (at peak)

After the September 11 attacks, Mussy predicted the end of the world, the time of which was repeatedly delayed after it failed to occur. In July 2002, a member killed himself and two other members were said to have attempted to kill themselves. Following this, Mussy was tried in France on the grounds that he had brainwashed his followers and was responsible for the suicide and attempted suicides. He was found guilty, and given a three-year suspended sentence and a €115,000 fine. The group was dissolved after Mussy was arrested; it only existed for a year and a half. It was the first time the anti-cult About–Picard law had been invoked, and the trial received a high amount of media coverage.

History

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Arnaud Mussy was born in Boulogne-Billancourt in 1968.[1][2] He moved to Argentina in his 20s, but then returned to France. When Mussy was 22, he discovered the esoteric beliefs of fashion designer Paco Rabanne.[2][3] Mussy had worked for France-Telecom and had a BTS degree in communication.[4][5] The Scotsman described him as a "former hitchhiker".[6] In 1997, he met the obscure esoteric writer and Breton mystic André Bougenec (also known as Auguste Bougenec).[7][3] Bougenec led the Phare-Ouest (lit. 'West Lighthouse') group, which had about 40 members.[2][8] Phare-Ouest had been founded in 1989;[3] Bougenec believed that he was the reincarnation of Jesus, and developed a belief system derivative of Kabbalah involving numerology and inspired by alchemical hermeticism.[2][9] Bougenec's claim to be god was supposedly proven with numerology;[9] however, using his actual name did not fulfill this proof.[10] He believed God to be androgynous. He preached for a kind of salvation that involved sex-complementary pairs, with the couples in the group representing the couples of Heavenly Jerusalem. He held ceremonies that established married couples as these "soulmate" pairs.[11] Mussy joined Phare-Ouest in 1997; that year, Bougenec died.[12]

After Bougenec's death, Mussy formed a schismatic group, later saying that he considered the members of Phare-Ouest to be too religiously rigid "like the Pharisees", but the psychologist Sonya Jougla attributes this to both internal conflicts and his ambition.[12][9] In January 2001, Mussy, with 20 followers, formed Néo-Phare; most members were between the ages of 30 and 40, and largely couples with some children. Mussy and his twin brother Olivier, who was viewed as Saint Peter within the group,[13][14] brought their wives and their mother-in-law into the group. Neither brother needed to work as their father had left them a large inheritance.[15] The name Néo-Phare was chosen after the protagonist of the 1999 film The Matrix, Neo, as Mussy was a fan of the movie, in combination with the previous group's title.[7] He interpreted esoteric meaning from some of the film's symbolism.[7]

The 21 members (including Mussy) were visualized as 21 "apostles" (flipped from the Twelve Apostles), their task being to rewrite the Bible, which they viewed as having been distorted by the Catholic Church. They analyzed it through Bougenec's ideas and numerology system. The group's mission was to rebuild the world after the apocalypse in a way that would align with their beliefs.[9] Mussy, like Bougenec, said he was the new Jesus Christ (previously he believed he was James the Apostle).[9][16][17] The group moved to two hamlets, with the core members living in Cellier, a small village close to Nantes, and the rest living in Olivier Mussy's home in Aigrefeuille. According to Olivier Mussy, the group lived cooperatively but not communally; members shared expenses and worked jobs half time, but maintained their own bank accounts.[18][15] Early in the group's history, Mussy interpreted and taught Bougenec's ideas, but he later began to fulfill a more messianic role.[19]

Apocalypse predictions

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The September 11 attacks caused Néo-Phare to become increasingly apocalyptic.

Néo-Phare has been classified as a doomsday cult by the suicide researcher Loren Coleman.[20] After the September 11 attacks, the group became more apocalyptic in its thought. Mussy claimed that Bougenec had foreseen the destruction of the Twin Towers, and the group interpreted the attack as a sign of the end times.[15][19] Mussy said that Bougenec had encrypted the date as 11/6 instead of 9/11 (flipping the number),[21][19] and said that the attacks were a message from God to prepare for the end.[16] He announced that the end of the world would occur on 29 December 2001. He believed the apocalypse would be positive—not a violent destruction of the world, but a rebirth of a more spiritual humanity.[19][15]

In December 2001, Néo-Phare convened in a crypt near the tomb of Mary Magdalene in Vézelay and attempted to communicate with her spirit, which they referred to as the "Divine Mother" and conceived of as the "female archetype". Mussy mimicked Jesus on the cross while another member shouted out the French word beaucoup (lit. transl. a lot, many).[19] The group also engaged in trance sessions, similar to Pentecostalist Christian practice.[22] The group often met at sacred sites, such as abbeys and historic castles, viewing them as locations of power. Mussy viewed the tomb of Francis II, Duke of Brittany (which was discussed in a book written by Bougenec) in Nantes as the key to the apocalypse.[11]

When the apocalypse date of 29 December 2001 arrived, nothing happened.[22] Mussy then announced that the apocalypse would be 25 February 2002.[11][22] After the announcement, he exerted more control over Néo-Phare's members, separating 3 or 4 couples and reassigning them to others according to their "energies"—an extension of Bougenec's soulmate doctrine.[22][11] Mussy said he was reuniting couples through this practice, not separating them, with the couples in the group representing the couples in Heavenly Jerusalem and all of the couples in the world.[11] Later, through channeling, they received the names of their soulmates, with whom they would supposedly form ideal couples.[10]

In February 2002, a Néo-Phare member claimed that she felt a presence in her throat and fell into a trance claiming to channel Bougenec, who spoke to Mussy and told him he was Jesus. Although channeling was not then part of the group's doctrine, the group believed her.[19] Less than a month later, that member and her boyfriend left the group and denounced Mussy as a cult leader and a fake, saying he was a "seducer" who could "overwhelm" people.[19] In a deposition taken later, she stated that she had not done the channeling, but that Mussy had done it himself "directly, from the sky".[11] In light of both the channeling and the ritual in the crypt in Vézelay, Mussy claimed to be Jesus.[14][19] The members stored food in preparation for the apocalypse.[7] Mussy claimed there would be three "difficult" days of the end of the world, but then it would be "joyful"; however, later he said that it would not be an end of "the" world, but the end of "a" world.[5][23]

The new date passed and there was once again no apocalypse. Mussy blamed the Néo-Phare's members, saying that "Heaven has played with us to put us to the test". He announced a new date of 2 September, and then 24 October 2002 (Bougenec's birthday).[22][21] At this time, the group had been noticed by the French authorities, who were concerned about the attitudes of the group.[22] In March 2002, members were summoned to a police station and an investigation was launched after the parents of some members, worried and comparing the group to the Order of the Solar Temple mass suicides, complained.[22][24] The status of the group's children was investigated, but as their children were not involved in any of their activities and regularly attended school, the police were satisfied and the case was closed in June 2002.[24][14] As a result of the police investigation, the group became embroiled in crisis and most members left, leaving only 8 core members.[22]

Suicide and alleged attempts

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On 14 July 2002, one member of Néo-Phare, 29-year-old Jérémie Trossais, killed himself by throwing himself in front of a car.[25] In the following two days, it was alleged that two other members, a couple, also attempted suicide, though they later denied this.[26][25] What lead Trossais to kill himself is unknown; he did not leave a suicide note.[27] He had been viewed as a Judas figure within the group.[28] Psychiatrist Jean-Marie Abgrall argued that this lead to his abuse within the movement, but sociologist Susan J. Palmer argued that as Judas was viewed positively within the group's theology, this may not have been stigmatizing.[29] Trossais's wife had also been paired with Mussy's brother as his "soulmate" and she became pregnant.[14] A member of Trossais's family said he had felt rejected by Mussy, who said he did not pray enough, and said that it was his fault the apocalypse had not happened on time.[7] Shortly after his death, Trossais's wife left the group to live with her family.[30]

Mussy claimed that there had been a power struggle, and that in July 2002, the couple—who had been members of Phare-Ouest for seven years and joined Mussy's schism—attempted to take over Néo-Phare.[31][32] According to him they told him that they had received a revelation that if he went to Nantes, he would meet his "soul sister". As Mussy's wife had recently left him and he felt lonely, he went.[8][32] During his absence both members of the couple then declared themself the leader of the group.[8] When Mussy returned, there was a power struggle between Mussy and the couple.[8] Mussy interpreted this coup as reinforcing his claim of being the messiah and viewed the couple as "rebel angels", symbolic of the revolt against God.[32] Mussy claimed that on the day he had killed himself, Trossais had repeatedly called him on the phone and sounded distraught over the couple; Mussy told him to come over so they could discuss it, but Trossais refused.[8] According to Mussy, in a second call, Trossais also claimed to be Jesus, and said that he believed that if he died, God would manifest. Mussy did not take this seriously and believed it to be a metaphor, as he, also believing himself to be Jesus, had not tried to kill himself.[8][30] In a third call, he told Mussy that he was hitch-hiking and would call him later.[30]

The day after Trossais's suicide, the male one of the couple climbed the Château de Clermont. The media portrayed this as attempted suicide by defenestration, and he was stopped by another person.[8][33] His wife did the same the next day, climbing the tower naked and holding a flower (Néo-Phare's symbol for "the mother") in her mouth.[33] Media sources portrayed her as jumping out of the castle window, while another source states that she had been scared by another woman who spotted her inside the castle, resulting in an accidental fall. She was unhurt,[22][21][30] brought to a clinic in the castle, and taken for psychiatric examination. The couple were then questioned by police.[22][34] Olivier Mussy, this was an attempt by the couple to display supernatural powers, as they had allegedly told him and his brother that they were "the two faces of God".[8] As a result of the incident, the group was left with only six members, including Mussy.[35]

Immediately after the suicide of Trossais, police questioned Néo-Phare members. Charges were not immediately brought because there was no proof of crimes such as financial misappropriation or involvement of minors in the organization.[36] The group then moved back to Nantes, where they waited for the apocalypse. Mussy and the remaining five members shut themselves in a house, awaiting the "journey to Venus".[37][16][20] Here they were monitored by French intelligence services.[7][38] When they stayed inside the house for a long period, the police and their neighbors began to worry they were plotting mass suicide like the Order of the Solar Temple.[16][7][38] During this period they read about and discussed religious matters.[5] Former members claimed that they were waiting for UFOs.[23][6]

Mussy denied responsibility for the previous suicide and suicide attempts, and denied that his group would kill themselves, saying that death was not the way out and that Néo-Phare was not a cult.[16][7][20] No documents were ever found indicating the group advocated or encouraged suicide.[27] By September, there had begun a media frenzy around the case; news reports suggested that the group may have been intending to commit mass suicide.[39] Néo-Phare was frequently compared to the Solar Temple by the media, with Le Figaro declaring it the "new OTS" and journalists comparing Mussy to leaders Luc Jouret and Joseph Di Mambro.[40][20] A former member discussed a comparison between the group's idea of voyaging to Venus and the Solar Temple's concept of voyage to Sirius.[41][20] On 5 September, Mussy dismissed any comparisons made between the two groups.[20] After the deaths, the investigation into the group was reopened.[14] At that time Mussy then stated the apocalypse date was not specific but would happen before Christmas.[5][16] He said that if he was incorrect about doomsday he might return to his prior job working at a French telecommunications company.[5]

Trial and dissolution

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Mussy was arrested 16 October 2002 and charged for "abuse of weakness" under the About–Picard law. He was held for 48 hours for questioning and forbidden by the court from having any contact with his followers.[22][42][25] Néo-Phare was then dissolved; it had only existed for a year and a half.[22][13][43] Mussy was released under judicial supervision.[44] His trial received significant media coverage.[43]

Mussy's trial was the test case for the About–Picard law. The law had been passed in May 2001 and was designed to prosecute cult leaders. It created a new misdemeanor in French law, abuse of weakness (l’abus frauduleux de l’état d’ignorance ou de faiblesse), that was designed to account for the several ways that a charismatic leader could harm a follower through brainwashing. However, the law faced criticism for lacking objective criteria.[33][45] The law also allowed private groups to initiate civil proceedings on behalf of a civil plaintiff, without that plaintiff's consent or knowledge, including in some cases where the plaintiffs in question do not want charges filed.[46]

Under that provision, the French anti-cult group UNADFI prosecuted the case against Mussy on behalf of Trossais's parents, naming Trossais, Trossais's widow (an ex-member), and the couple as victims; none of the living victims appeared at trial.[46] The prosecution called the psychiatrist Jean-Marie Abgrall, the lead French cult brainwashing expert, as an expert witness. A local official for an anti-cult group also gave evidence.[13] Trossais's sister said during the trial that Mussy had destroyed her brother, as he had with the couple.[14] Mussy was defended by a court-appointed attorney.[29] Mussy only met with his attorney only twice, as he felt it more important to write a book.[47] He told journalists at the trial that he had decided not to retain a lawyer because he was being "tested by the heavens". Throughout the trial, he used his presence to broadcast his message.[47] He also maintained that he was Jesus.[14][4]

The prosecution accused Mussy of causing Trossais's suicide by pressuring him and through "techniques of thought reform" that affected his judgment.[46] Mussy's attorney argued that he was being used as a "guinea pig" to test the new law; he told the court that "One is asking you to be psychiatric magistrates. Neither you nor I have the competence to judge manipulation mentale [lit. transl. brainwashing]."[26][47] Abgrall called Mussy "a master manipulator".[26] He also compared the group to the Solar Temple, as both groups recorded their meetings and practiced swinging.[41] Mussy's attorney argued that the group's members were responsible adults, capable of free choice.[48]

Mussy testified and argued that Néo-Phare was too poor, small, and careful to be a cult; the local cult official responded that that made the group even more dangerous because members would not realize they were joining a cult. Mussy further denied any involvement in Trossais's death or that he had planned any suicide.[49][4] After Mussy testified, the judge said he seemed sincere; the local anti-cult official responded that his seeming sincere was further proof that he was a manipulator.[26][37] The couple gave a deposition, read out by the prosecutor in court, in which they denied having attempted suicide. They further said that Mussy had never attempted to influence them to do things they did not want to do. The prosecutor argued that the deposition showed that they were brainwashed victims in a psychologically impressionable mental state, and Abgrall said they suffered from Stockholm syndrome.[26][29]

On 14 October 2004, Mussy was found guilty of abuse of weakness.[50][26] The public prosecutor requested 30 months of suspended sentence with six months served against Mussy on 16 October, as well as that Mussy be banned from leading any group with a 5-year socio-educational follow-up.[44][17] The judgement was then adjourned until 25 November.[44] In sentencing him, the court did not follow the prosecution's demand of a six-month prison sentence.[37] Mussy was instead given a three-year suspended prison sentence and a €115,000 fine to compensate the victims by the Rennes Court of Appeal [fr].[50][26][51] He appealed the sentence, but it was upheld 6 June 2005.[26][25]

Aftermath

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The verdict was celebrated by anti-cultists; Jean-Pierre Brard declared that it was "excellent news", while the prosecutor stated that "nothing would ever be the same", calling Mussy's conviction a "victory".[52][17] The case was interpreted as a warning and a precedent: Mussy's attorney declared, following the verdict, that "This is not a conviction that is neutral. It contains a very strong warning! Here we have the first jurisprudence!"[26][52] MIVILUDES said it was excellent news, and praised the effectiveness of the law.[17] The prosecutor said afterwards that the case had been a close call because of the difficulty in determining guilt of brainwashing.[53] Mussy later said of his conviction that "It was clear the National Assembly had a new law and they wanted to try it out on some little group to make an example—not a big powerful [cult] like Scientology that has lots of money to defend itself. I have no money. I knew I could not win."[47] As of 2008, Mussy was paying the fine in installments.[26]

The cult researcher Susan J. Palmer argued that the application of the brainwashing concept in this specific case was flawed, even apart from the wider concerns about the legitimacy of the concept and how it is supposed to be proven.[54][27] She also argued that Néo-Phare did not fit the typical cult mass suicide model (like the Solar Temple, Jonestown, and Heaven's Gate), and criticized what she believed was inadequate research of the group itself, including its theology and history.[55] She said it may have been an attempt by the French justice system to compensate for the innocent verdict in the Tabachnik trial of the Order of the Solar Temple.[40] The OTS suicides had shocked the French public, and due to the failure of the justice system to convict the only person who ever went on trial in that case, there was no "satisfying" conclusion, deeply frustrating the French authorities.[56] She also argued that the very high defection rate (14 of the 20 members had left over time) evidenced Mussy was not "a particularly effective brainwasher".[28]

References

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  1. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 147, 153.
  2. ^ a b c d Bourseiller 2014, p. 314.
  3. ^ a b c Palmer 2011, p. 153.
  4. ^ a b c "Six mois ferme réclamés contre le gourou" [Six months' imprisonment sought against guru]. Le Parisien (in French). 7 June 2005. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e "French Cult Predicts Doomsday by Christmas". Voice of America. 20 October 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Siege as French apocalypse cult plans voyage to Venus". The Scotsman. 3 September 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Ternisien, Xavier (4 September 2002). "Dans un pavillon nantais, six membres de la secte Néo-Phare attendent l'apocalypse pour le 24 octobre" [In a pavilion in Nantes, six members of the Néo-Phare cult await the apocalypse on 24 October]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Palmer 2008, p. 114.
  9. ^ a b c d e Jougla 2003, p. 57.
  10. ^ a b Jougla 2003, p. 58.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Palmer 2011, p. 155.
  12. ^ a b Bourseiller 2014, pp. 314–315.
  13. ^ a b c Palmer 2008, p. 112.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g "Néo-Phare. De la prison ferme requise en appel" [Néo-Phare. Strong prison sentence requested on appeal]. Le Télégramme (in French). 5 June 2005. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d Bourseiller 2014, p. 315.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Lichfield, John (6 September 2002). "This Europe: Why a cult leader is suddenly no laughing matter". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d P., R. (27 June 2005). "Un cas concret se déroule en France et pourrait fonder la jurisprudence" [A solid case in France could form the basis of future case law]. La Libre (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  18. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 153–154.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h Palmer 2011, p. 154.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Coleman 2004, pp. 88–89.
  21. ^ a b c Jougla 2003, p. 59.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bourseiller 2014, p. 316.
  23. ^ a b Chalandon, Sorj (10 September 2002). "Saint-Florentin". Libération (in French). Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  24. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 156.
  25. ^ a b c d Palmer 2011, p. 150.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Palmer 2008, p. 113.
  27. ^ a b c Palmer 2011, p. 151.
  28. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 166.
  29. ^ a b c Palmer 2011, p. 167.
  30. ^ a b c d Palmer 2011, p. 171.
  31. ^ Palmer 2008, pp. 111, 113–114.
  32. ^ a b c Palmer 2011, p. 170.
  33. ^ a b c Palmer 2008, p. 111.
  34. ^ Palmer 2008, pp. 114–115.
  35. ^ Jougla 2003, p. 60.
  36. ^ "Ouverture d'une enquête sur Néo-Phare" [Inquiry launched into Néo-Phare]. Le Parisien (in French). 5 September 2002. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  37. ^ a b c J., J. (13 July 2005). "Trois ans avec sursis pour le gourou de Néo-Phare" [Three-year suspended sentence for the guru of Néo-Phare]. 20 minutes (in French). Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  38. ^ a b Landais, Rodolphe (2 September 2002). "Une secte sous surveillance" [A cult under surveillance]. Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  39. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 150–151.
  40. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 163.
  41. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 164.
  42. ^ Palmer 2008, pp. 111–112.
  43. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 147.
  44. ^ a b c "Gourou de Neo-Phare : 30 mois de sursis requis" [Neo-Phare guru: 30-month suspended sentence requested]. Le Nouvel Obs (in French). 16 October 2004. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  45. ^ Palmer 2011, p. 148.
  46. ^ a b c Palmer 2008, pp. 112–113.
  47. ^ a b c d Palmer 2011, p. 157.
  48. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 158, 166.
  49. ^ Palmer 2011, p. 158.
  50. ^ a b Bourseiller 2014, p. 317.
  51. ^ C., A.A. (13 July 2005). "Prison avec sursis pour le gourou" [Suspended sentence for the guru]. Le Parisien. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  52. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 149.
  53. ^ Palmer 2011, p. 160.
  54. ^ Palmer 2008, p. 115.
  55. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 151–152, 167–168.
  56. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 162–163.
Sources
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