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Néo-Phare
PredecessorPhare-Ouest
FormationJanuary 2001 (2001-01)
FounderArnaud Mussy
DissolvedOctober 2002; 21 years ago (2002-10)
TypeNew religious movement
HeadquartersCellier
Location
  • France
Membership
21 (at peak)

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 was a schismatic organization formed from a separate group called Phare-Ouest, founded by esoteric writer André Bougenec, whose belief system incoporated Kabbalah and hermeticism; Bougenec also proclaimed he was God. Mussy had joined this group in 1997, and Bougenec died the same year. Mussy created a schism with 20 members in 2001, viewing the original group as too rigid, forming Néo-Phare.

After the September 11 attacks, Mussy predicted the end of the world, the time of which was repeatedly delayed as it failed to occur. In July 2002, a member killed himself, and two other members were accused of having 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

[edit]

Arnaud Mussy was from Nantes, France, 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] In 1997, he met the esoteric writer and Breton mystic André Bougenec (also known as Auguste Bougenec). Bougenec lead the Phare-Ouest (lit. 'West Lighthouse') group, of about 40 members.[2][4] 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, also inspired by alchemical hermeticism.[2][5] He was an obscure writer.[6] Bougenec's claim to be god was supposedly proven with numerology;[5] however, using his actual name did not fulfill this proof.[7] He believed God to be androgynous. He preached for a kind of salvation that involved sex-complimentary pairs, with the couples in the group representing the couples of Heavenly Jerusalem. He would hold ceremonies that would establish married couples as these "soulmate" pairs.[8] Mussy joined Phare-Ouest in 1997; that year, Bougenec died.[9]

After Bougenec's death, Mussy would form a schismatic group, on the grounds that he considered the members of Phare to be "like the Pharisees", too religiously rigid; though another source attributes this to both internal conflicts and his ambition.[9][5] In January 2001, Mussy, with 20 followers, formed Néo-Phare; most members were between the ages of 30–40, largely couples with some children. Mussy and his twin brother Olivier (described by one source as "St. Peter to Arnaud’s Jesus") 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.[10][11] Two members of this group, a couple, had both been members of Phare-Ouest for seven years before Mussy joined, and went with him in the schism.[12][13] 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. He interpreted esoteric meaning from some of the film's symbolism.[6]

The 21 members (including Mussy) were visualized as 21 "apostles" (flipped from the Twelve Apostles), their task being to rewrite the Bible as they viewed it as having been distorted by the Catholic Church. To do this, they would analyze it through Bouguenec's ideas, and attempt to rebuild a life after an apocalypse that would be in line with the group's beliefs; all their readings were analyzed through Bougenec's numerology system.[5] Mussy, like Bougenec, said he was the new Jesus Christ (previously he believed he was James the Apostle).[5][14][15] 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. The group lived cooperatively but not communally.[16][10] At its peak, it had only 21 members.[17] Early on in the group's history, Mussy served as an interpreter and a teacher of Bougenec's ideas, but would soon begin to fulfill a more messianic role in it.[18]

Apocalypse predictions

[edit]

After the September 11 attacks, the group became more apocalyptic in its thought; allegedly, Bougenec had foreseen the destruction of the Twin Towers, so the attack was a sign of the end times.[10] They have been classed as a doomsday cult.[19] According to Mussy, he had announced that the end date would be 11/06, which was an encrypted version of 11/9 (flipping the nine).[20][18] Mussy said that the attacks were a message from God to prepare for the end;[14] 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. That month, they gave a conference in Vézelay, where his followers gathered in a crypt near the tomb of Mary Magdalene, attempting to astrally communicate with her spirit. They were attempting to commune with the "Divine Mother" (the Néo-Phare concept of the "female archetype"), when Mussy mimicked Jesus on the cross and another member shouted out.[18][10]

After this, they would engage in several group trance sessions, in a way similar to that of Pentecostalist Christian groups.[21] The group would often meet at sacred sites, like abbeys or historic castles, viewing them as locations of power; Mussy viewed the tomb of François II in Nantes, which was discussed in a book written by Bougenec, to be the key to the apocalypse.[8] When the apocalypse date arrived, nothing happened.[21] Mussy then announced the date would be 25 February 2002.[8][21] After this date was announced, he exerted more control over members, separating couples and reassigning them to others according to their "energies", an extension of Bougenec's soulmate doctrine.[21][8] Mussy said he was not breaking people up, but reuniting people whose soles had been separated, with the couples in the group representing the couples in Heavenly Jerusalem and all the couples in the world.[8] There were a few couple changes like this, though not all had it happen.[8]

In February 2002, a member claimed that she felt a presence in her throat, and fell into a trance claiming to channel Bougenec who spoke to Mussy telling him he was Jesus; though channeling was not then part of the group's doctrine, the group believed her.[18] Less than a month later, she 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.[18] In her later deposition, she stated that she had not done the channeling, but that Mussy had done it himself "directly, from the sky".[8] The members stored food in preparation for the apocalypse.[6] Through channeling, they would receive the names of soul mates, with whom they would supposedly form ideal couples.[7]

The new date passed and there was once again no apocalypse. Mussy blamed the group members, saying that "Heaven has played with us to put us to the test". He announced the date was 2 September, then 24 October 2002 (Bougunec's birthday).[21][20] At this time, the group had been noticed by the French authorities, who were concerned about the attitudes of the group.[21] 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.[21][22] 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.[22] As a result of the police investigation, the group became embroiled in crisis and most members left, leaving only 8 core members. These remaining members lived together in Cellier, and only grew more obsessed with the apocalypse.[21][6]

Suicide and alleged attempts

[edit]

In July 2002, the couple attempted to take over the group. They told Mussy that they had received a revelation that if he went to Nantes, he would meet his "soul sister". Mussy's wife had recently left him and he felt lonely, so he then went.[4][23] During his absence one declared himself "The Father", and said that to make it into heaven all must follow him, and stated that Mussy was the source of the problems that had been experienced by the group. A few days later, his wife declared herself "The Mother". Both said that that they were the "two faces of God".[4] When Mussy returned, there was a power struggle between Mussy and the couple; during this struggle, the man claimed he channeled Bougenec.[4] They told Jérémie Trossais, a member and a 29-year-old gym instructor,[13][24] that he was Lucifer. According to Olivier Mussy, Trossais was terrified of them.[4] Mussy interpreted this coup in a way that in his mind, only reinforced his claims of being a messiah, viewing them both as "rebel angels" symbolic of the revolt against God.[23]

According to Mussy, Trossais repeatedly called Mussy on the phone on 14 July, warning him about them and sounding distraught; Mussy told him to come over so they could discuss it, but Trossais refused.[4] According to Mussy, in the 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.[4][25] In a third call, he told Mussy that he was hitch-hiking and would call him later.[25] Later that day, Trossais threw himself in front of a car, killing himself.[21][13] Mussy later stated in an interview that: "I know I am Jesus, and I write about it and talk about it, but I never try to kill myself. The difference between me and Jérémie is, he says ‘I am Jesus!’ and boom! He kills himself immediately!"[4] However, 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.[6] Trossais left no written note about the suicide.[26] According to Olivier Mussy, the group was shocked and did not know how to react. Shortly after his death, Trossais's wife left the group to live with her family.[25]

According to Olivier Mussy, following the suicide the couple were both quiet.[4] The day after this, the male member then climbed the Château de Clermont. The media portrayed this as attempted suicide by defenestration from the Château de Clermont, and he was stopped by another person.[4][13] His wife did the same the next day, climbing the tower, naked and holding a tulip in her mouth (in the group, symbolizing the "mother").[13] Media sources portray her jumping out of the castle window, while another states that she had been scared by another woman spotting her inside the castle and screamed, falling: she was unhurt.[21][20][25] She was taken to a clinic in the castle and taken for psychiatric examination. Both of them were then questioned by police.[21][27] According to Olivier Mussy this was an attempt by them to display supernatural power, having told both brothers earlier that they were "the two faces of God".[4] There were then only six members remaining, including Mussy.[28]

Immediately after the suicide, the group was questioned, but charges could not immediately be brought against them as crimes such as financial misappropriation or involvement of minors in the organization were not found to have occurred.[29] Following these events, they moved again to Nantes, where they waited for the apocalypse. The remaining members, Mussy and five others, shut themselves in a house in Nantes, awaiting the "journey to Venus".[30][14][19] Here they were monitored by French intelligence services. The French authorities, as well as their neighbors, feared that it would end up a repeat of the Order of the Solar Temple mass suicides.[14][6] Mussy denied responsibility for the suicides, and denied that they would kill themselves, saying that death was not the way out and that they were not a cult.[14][6][19] No documents were ever found indicating the group advocated or encouraged suicide.[31] 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.[32]

The group 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.[33][19] A former member discussed with the news a comparison between Néo-Phare's idea of voyaging to Venus and the Solar Temple's concept of voyage to Sirius. In one instance, TF1 producers (who wanted the exclusive rights to tell a story about the case) wanted them to look like the Solar Temple, surprised at their lack of belief similarities, and when they found out they didn't, they left.[34][19] On 5 September, he dismissed any comparisons made between the two groups.[19]

Trial and dissolution

[edit]

Mussy was arrested 16 October 2002 and charged for "abuse of weakness". He was held for 48 hours for questioning and forbidden by the court from having any contact with his followers.[21][35][24] Néo-Phare was then dissolved; it only existed for a year and a half.[21][11][36] This trial was the "test case" for the About–Picard law. The law had been passed in May 2001, designed to prosecute cult leaders. It created a new category of misdemeanor in French law, 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. This law however faced criticism over issues with determining what objective criteria could be used to show someone was guilty of brainwashing.[13][37]

Mussy was released under judicial supervision.[38] His trial received much media coverage.[36] During the trial, he was defended by Fabrice Petit,[39] appointed by the court. Mussy cooperated with him little and only met him twice, as he felt it more important to work on his book.[40] He declared to responding journalists at the trial that he had decided not to get a lawyer because he was being "tested by the heavens". Throughout the trial, he used his presence to broadcast his message.[40] The lawyer of the prosecution was Jean-Michel Pesenti, who worked for the French anti-cult group UNADFI. He represented Trossais's parents. Their expert witness was the psychiatrist Jean-Marie Abgrall, the lead French cult brainwashing expert, with a local official for an anti-cult group also giving evidence.[11] The About–Picard law has a provision that allows for private groups to initiate criminal proceedings from a civil plaintiff, without that plaintiff's consent or knowledge (including in some cases where the plaintiffs in question do not want charges filed). Through this provision, four victims of Néo-Phare were named by UNAFDI: Trossais, Trossais's widow (an ex-member), and the surviving couple, none of whom appeared in the trial.[41]

Pesanti accused Mussy of leading to the suicide, saying that through pressure he had altered Trossais's judgement and used "techniques of thought reform".[41] Petit argued Mussy was being used as a "guinea pig" for the law, which had not been previously tested; he told the court that "One is asking you to be psychiatric magistrates. Neither you nor I have the competence to judge manipulation mentale [brainwashing]."[12][40] The group was presented as a stereotypical cult by the prosecution, having brainwashed the members. Relying heavily on Abgrall's testimony, the prosecution's key point was aiming to show that Mussay fit the manipulative "cult leader" profile.[41] Abgrall immediately classed Mussy as "a master manipulator". After Mussy testified, the judge said he seemed sincere, to which the local anti-cult official stated that the fact he seemed sincere was only further proof he was a manipulator.[12][30] Petit argued that the members of Néo-Phare were responsible adults, capable of free choice, and further brought up the fact that none of the members in Néo-Phare were actually converted by Mussy (all having been previous members of Ouest-Phare, including Trossais).[42] Abgrall said during the trial that Néo-Phare was like the Solar Temple, as both groups recorded their meetings and practiced swinging.[34]

Mussy testified, arguing that they were too poor, small, and careful to be a cult, to which the local cult official declared this made it 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, calling it a "setback" to their project.[43] The couple gave a deposition, read out by Petit in court, in which they denied having attempted suicide. They further said Mussy had never attempted to influence them to do things they did not want to do, but was sincere. Pesenti argued this deposition showed that they were brainwashed victims in a psychologically impressionable mental state. From the deposition, Abgrall diagnosed them in absentia as suffering from Stockholm syndrome.[12][39] The trial did not mention the leadership crisis that had happened in the week before Trossais's death, as Mussy did not tell his lawyer about it.[12] During one of his hearings, Mussy stated that he was now writing an 800-page gospel.[44] In response to the member who had supposedly channeled Bougenec's spirit, then denied it, Mussy suggested that the court refer to the video tapes (the channelings had been recorded) to determine who had done so, but this was not done.[8]

On 14 October 2004, he was found guilty of abus de faiblesse.[45][12] 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 and a 5-year socio-educational follow-up.[38][15] The judgement was then adjourned until 25 November.[38] In sentencing him, the court did not following the prosecution's demand of a six-month prison sentence.[30] He was instead sentenced to a three-year suspended prison sentence and €115,000 fine to compensate the victims by the Rennes Court of Appeal [fr].[45][12][44] He appealed the sentence, but it was upheld 6 June 2005.[12][24]

Aftermath

[edit]

The verdict was celebrated by anti-cultists; Jean-Pierre Brard declared that it was "excellent news", while Pesenti stated that "nothing would ever be the same", calling his conviction a "victory".[46][15] The case was interpreted as a warning and a precedent: Petit 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!"[12][46] MIVILUDES said it was excellent news, and praised the effectiveness of tha law.[15] Mussy later stated 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."[40]

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.[47][31] She also argued that the Néo-Phare did not fit the typical cult mass suicide model (e.g. the Solar Temple, Jonestown, Heaven's Gate), and criticized what she believed was an inadequate researching of the group itself, including its theology and history.[48] 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.[33] 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.[49] She also argued that the very high defection rate (Mussy had never converted anyone to the group, and 14 of the 20 in it when he started had left) evidenced Mussy was not "a particularly effective brainwasher".[42]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 147, 153.
  2. ^ a b c d Bourseiller 2014, p. 314.
  3. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 153.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Palmer 2008, p. 114.
  5. ^ a b c d e Jougla 2003, p. 57.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g 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.
  7. ^ a b Jougla 2003, p. 58.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Palmer 2011, p. 155.
  9. ^ a b Bourseiller 2014, pp. 314–315.
  10. ^ a b c d Bourseiller 2014, p. 315.
  11. ^ a b c Palmer 2008, p. 112.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Palmer 2008, p. 113.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Palmer 2008, p. 111.
  14. ^ a b c d e Lichfield, John (6 September 2002). "This Europe: Why a cult leader is suddenly no laughing matter". The Independent. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 153–154.
  17. ^ Jougla 2003, p. 56.
  18. ^ a b c d e Palmer 2011, p. 154.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Coleman 2004, pp. 88–89.
  20. ^ a b c Jougla 2003, p. 59.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Bourseiller 2014, p. 316.
  22. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 156.
  23. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 170.
  24. ^ a b c Palmer 2011, p. 150.
  25. ^ a b c d Palmer 2011, p. 171.
  26. ^ Palmer 2011, p. 152.
  27. ^ Palmer 2008, pp. 114–115.
  28. ^ Jougla 2003, p. 60.
  29. ^ "Ouverture d'une enquête sur Néo-Phare" [Inquiry launched into Néo-Phare]. Le Parisien (in French). 5 September 2002. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  30. ^ 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.
  31. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 151.
  32. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 150–151.
  33. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 163.
  34. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 164.
  35. ^ Palmer 2008, pp. 111–112.
  36. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 147.
  37. ^ Palmer 2011, p. 148.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 167.
  40. ^ a b c d Palmer 2011, p. 157.
  41. ^ a b c Palmer 2008, pp. 112–113.
  42. ^ a b Palmer 2011, pp. 158, 166.
  43. ^ Palmer 2011, p. 158.
  44. ^ a b C., A.A. (13 July 2005). "Prison avec sursis pour le gourou" [Suspended sentence for the guru]. Le Parisien. Retrieved 21 September 2024.
  45. ^ a b Bourseiller 2014, p. 317.
  46. ^ a b Palmer 2011, p. 149.
  47. ^ Palmer 2008, p. 115.
  48. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 151–152, 167–168.
  49. ^ Palmer 2011, pp. 162–163.
Sources
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