I am impressed by the courage of L'Arche International in mandating this report and in the expertise, and thorough investigation carried out by the people who made up the Commission group.

Jean Vanier and his writings have played a central part in my life and spirituality for over 40 years.

I have been involved in Faith and Light in local, national and international roles, and in 1989 my husband Roger and I founded the Marralomeda Community, which is based very much on the philosophy of L'Arche.

Many emotions came to the surface as I read the report.

It was different from the initial shock I experienced when I first heard the news of the abuse in 2020.

At that time, I felt shock, anger and deep grief as the image of the person I thought I knew crumbled.…

I was betrayed.

This time I was disturbed by the extent of the abuse and the lack of Jean's insight and remorse for the damage that had been inflicted on the women concerned. Also, the lies that he told in 2016 about his lack of knowledge and shock at hearing of Thomas Philippe's abuse of women when he was engaging in the same practices himself.

Those things were very hard for me to come to terms with.

It went against everything I believed about this man who, through his writing and retreats, I regarded as a mentor.

I am not one to put people on a pedestal as I know we are all human, with all the gifts and frailties that go with that condition, but I believed that through his chosen life of prayer and living with people with intellectual disabilities he had wisdom and insights that I could rely on.

When I first heard him speak about L'Arche in the Christchurch Cathedral on a very cold night in May 1977, the trajectory of my life changed.

A call from God stirred in me that night, and over the years, Roger and I have been involved in Faith and Light.

Central to my life ever since has been reading the writings of Jean.

What to make of it all?

At times as I read the report I wanted to stop and not read any more… but I knew that I had to face the reality of all that it contained and then entrust the pain to God.

I also asked myself, "what are the learnings from this?"

The grief re-emerged, and I found myself shedding tears again.

I know that eventually, as I sit with it all and bring it to prayer, God will heal and teach me what I need to know.

However, at the moment, I know L'Arche and Faith and Light are not dependent on Jean Vanier.

He was certainly an important part (with others) of the foundation stories. But today in L'Arche and Faith and Light there are thousands of people around the world living lives that have as a mission to spread the realm of God; their special charism is to build community with people with and without intellectual disabilities.

Each organization has a vision, a charter and a constitution and good people in leadership at a variety of levels….. each striving to bring the kingdom of God to their corner of our world.

And isn't this what Jesus asked us to do?

I hold those in leadership (especially those who, like myself, had strong connections to Jean) in prayer as they attempt to hold the vision while managing their personal feelings.

So although I am saddened and perplexed by all that I have read.

I am also hopeful because we are involved in God's work in our world and that is where our strength and way forward must come from….listening to the murmur of the Holy Spirit deep within each of us, being open to where that takes us as we live the vocation of our organizations as outlined in our charters and vision statements.

We are held in the palm of God's hand.

• Anne-Marie Pike.
• Marralomeda is a Christian community where people with and without a learning disability share life together. Twenty-Two people with a learning disability live in five homes in Redwood with those who support them. Through ordinary daily activities, the community supports each other and enables the unique gift of each person to be recognised and celebrated.

A 437-page report, published after a two-year investigation, exposes the shocking details of how L'Arche's founder, Jean Vanier (pictured), created a secretive "sect" within the Catholic Church.

Vanier used seduction, manipulation, secrecy, and coercion to initiate as many as 25 young women into mystical-sexual practices and abused them sexually and spiritually.

The report is the latest in a series of documents exposing cases of abuse by priests and charismatic lay leaders, which the Vatican has long dismissed as mere "boundary violations".

Sister Veronique Margron, the president of the conference of religious orders in France, expressed her shock at the findings. She has called for a reexamination of the Catholic Church's "entire ecclesial, theological, and pastoral culture".

In a statement, she criticised the secrecy and "great silence" of the Vatican that allowed Vanier and his spiritual guru, the Rev Thomas Philippe, to abuse with impunity.

Pope Francis has also commented on the issue, acknowledging in an interview with the Associated Press that the Catholic Church still has a long way to go in dealing with the abuse of "vulnerable adults" and that more transparency and speaking out is needed.

The findings of the report raise serious questions about the Catholic Church's handling of abuse cases and its response to the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.

The L'Arche abuse case is just one of many such instances that have been handled without due care.

The demands from the religious orders in France are a call to action for the Catholic Church to take responsibility for its past actions and to make meaningful changes to prevent abuse from happening in the future.

Sources

AP News

CathNews New Zealand

In her letter to the pope (which she published on her personal website on 26 February) McAleese said she was "disturbed by aspects" of the L'Arche investigation into Vanier which "implicate the Holy See in a way that demands explanation."

She pointed to Vanier's relationship with Father Thomas Philippe OP, who was implicated in the sexual abuse of women during spiritual counseling from the 1950's.

"Given that vulnerable men and women were the intended beneficiaries of L'Arche and that Vanier was consistently lauded by the Church at the highest level without the remotest suggestion that there was anything worrying in his character it is essential that the Holy See now explains how it came to so publicly commend a man whose predatory proclivities it was aware of," her letter says.

"What steps if any did the Holy See take to interrupt the growth of the powerful cult of Vanier by warning the many good men and women who trusted him in good faith that he had an alarming past?"

"I have no doubt that L'Arche will recover and continue its great work for it has its owns integrity which is more than capable of transcending the Vanier betrayal. I am not so sure about whether trust in the Holy See will recover so easily," she said.

"Many times in recent years I have had reason to despair at the failures at papal, episcopal and Curial level regarding the protection of vulnerable children and the vindication of victims. Rebuilding trust is a work in the very early stages of progress."

"If ... the Holy See failed to act to protect members of the L'Arche community by alerting them to the known predatory activities of Vanier and Philippe ... this will be my final line of least resistance."

"I could not in conscience continue to support an institution capable of such gross negligence."

McAleese has a canon law degree from Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University.

Vanier founded L'Arche in 1964 to work with the intellectually disabled.

He developed a community model where people with disabilities lived with the people who assisted them.

Although Vanier was a Catholic, L'Arche isn't affiliated with any religious denomination.

After Vanier's death last year, Francis thanked God for his ministry and called him a "great witness."

Late last month, L'Arche International announced that credible complaints has led them to believe Vanier had sexually abused at least six women under the pretext of spiritual counseling.

Source

• Crux Now
• Image: The Irish Times

Summer in the Forest Summer is a beautiful and moving study of this extraordinary man and the organisation he founded.

Vanier founded L'Arche, a community based outside of Paris for individuals with developmental disabilities, in the 1960s.

His goal for L'Arche was to create an inclusive community where anyone could live a meaningful life.

He single-handedly revolutionised the way in which people with an intellectual disability are seen and cared for, by the simple act of inviting them out of institutions and into his home.

The film poses a challenge to the critical spectator: how to evaluate a work that's so inspiring in content but so uninspired in its form?

One of the many highlights of Summer in the Forest is ‘Meeting' some of the current residents of that home in Trosly-Breuil.

The film also presents Vanier, in his late 80s, as he reflects on his long, productive life.

He comes across as compassionate, wise, and heroically patient, having devoted decades to helping people.

Vanier also seems to have preserved a childlike sense of joy—he claims that play is an important part of his work—and his ability to derive pleasure from everyday moments conveys an enlightened perspective.

The first New Zealand L'Arche Community was founded in Paraparaumu twenty-five years ago.

A second community, L'Arche Mt Tabor, joined the Federation in 2017 after having operated for a number of years as an independent community based on the same principles as L'Arche.

Faith & Light which was co-founded by Vanier also has had a strong presence in New Zealand, having been founded in 1986.

Watch the Trailer for Summer in the Forest

Film screenings:

Auckland: Newmarket Rialto, 31 July 6:00 pm
Palmerston North: Events Cinema, 7 August 6:00 pm
Wellington: Roxy Cinema, 24 July 6:30 pm
Christchurch: Hoyts Northlands, 31 July 6:30 pm

Source

• movementonline.org.nz
• chicagoreader.com
• Image: chicagoreader.com

Participants in the service included people from all Christian faiths with and without intellectual disability.

A joyous atmosphere prevailed as the symbols and banners came up the aisle in procession and then a quiet moment while those present watched a video presentation on Jean's life and message.

Speakers included:

• Anne-Marie Pike, founder of Marralomeda Community, who spoke about the history of the New Zealand Connection with Jean Vanier
• Candice Wilson, community leader of L'Arche Kapiti, who spoke about the significance of the Washing of Feet in their communities
• David Treanor, Envoy L'Arche International, who spoke about Jean Vanier's last weeks and the peace he felt within as he made his journey home. David movingly read Jean's last message to his friends.

The sacrament of the washing of feet is very central to life at L'Arche, Marralomeda and Faith & Light… a ritual that reminds them that Jesus calls us to serve one another.

After a reading from John's Gospel, a mime was presented.

Then everyone in the congregation washed each other's hands in pairs and shared a blessing/prayer together.

Christchurch's Catholic bishop Paul Martin and the Anglican Bishop of Christchurch Peter Carrell washed each other's hands and prayed together.

Quotations from Jean were read by some of the young people present.

The celebration concluded with the singing of "Christ be Our Light" and a bit of fun when everyone batted balloons to each other.

Source

Supplied: Anne-Marie Pike

He told reporters he wanted to express his gratitude for his witness.

"Simply put, I want to thank him and thank God for having given us this man with such a great witness," the pope said.

Jean Vanier, whose charity work helped improve conditions for developmentally disabled people all over the world, died on Tuesday aged 90.

He founded the L'Arche communities for intellectually disabled people and also co-founded the Faith and Light communities for people with intellectual disabilities, their families and friends.

A visit to a psychiatric hospital prompted the former Canadian navy officer and professor to turn to charity work.

There he met institutionalised men with intellectual disabilities who were brutalised and neglected.

One of these men asked Vanier, "Will you be my friend?"

From that moment in 1964, the international L'Arche movement of communities dedicated to people with intellectual disabilities began.

He founded L'Arche as an alternative living environment where those with developmental disabilities could fully participate in society instead of as patients.

With Raphael Simi and Philippe Seux, two formerly institutionalised men, Vanier established the first L'Arche ("The Ark") community in an unheated, tumbledown stone house at Trosly-Breuil, north of Paris.

L'Arche now has communities in 38 countries that are home to thousands of people both with and without disabilities.

"He saw people locked up and he decided to make a gesture, inspired by the Bible," said Pierre Jacquand, who leads L'Arche's facilities in France. "He felt a calling to defend the most marginalised.

"He gave them a voice," Jacquand said.

He added that, over time, Vanier's work helped inspire broader change in how France addresses the needs of those with developmental disorders, including Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorders.

Vanier also traveled the world to encourage dialogue across religions.

He was awarded the 2015 Templeton Prize for spiritual work, as well as France's Legion of Honor.

He was also the subject of a documentary shown at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival called "Jean Vanier, the Sacrament of Tenderness."

Pope Francis, who had made a point of thanking Vanier for his work, was informed of his death.

Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti says Francis is praying for him and the community.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• National Catholic Reporter
• Religion News Service
• Washington Post

L'Arche communities are dedicated to creating and developing homes, programmes and support networks for people who have intellectual disabilities.

The official letter accompanying the award says Vanier's "testimony as well as that of the L'Arche Communities, throughout the world and throughout diverse religions and cultures, shows that the values of diversity, solidarity and human dignity are truly a path of communion and peace.

"L'Arche has shown the world how human weakness and handicap can carry a new meaning for what it is to be human.

"We are grateful to you for having accepted to receive this award that strengthens the link between our two communities, and makes of you, Jean, an honorary member of Adyan."

Vanier says the relationship between L'Arche and Adyan means a lot to him, and the award has left a great impact in his heart.

He says he and all L'Arche groups have a great desire to open up to the other, "so we help them and they help us to discover that each one of us is a very beautiful human being."

The Award, now in its 11th year, aims to encourage and honour people devoted to developing and promoting solidarity and unity among citizens of different faiths, especially in the contexts of tension and violence.

Source

• The Tablet
• Adyan
• Image: www.jeanvanier.org