The Shame of Jean Vanier

On the weekend we heard and read the results of an internal investigation of the late Jean Vanier by the L'Arche community he founded in the 1960's. Vanier was from an influential and wealthy Canadian family but he chose to begin living with a couple of developmentally challenged men in a village in France. Over the course of  50+ years this "ark", a place of safety and shelter for those who are vulnerable because of cognitive and physical challenges grew into an international movement. 

Vanier was not a Roman Catholic priest, but he chose a personal life of austerity and chastity...or so we thought. The investigation's report has revealed that Vanier was involved in at least half a dozen coercive sexual relationships with women through the years. Others resisted Vanier's advances, but there is no doubt that he used his position, quasi-religious rationales, and deception, for his own sexual gratification.

This is stunning and distressing news. No person is without foibles and failures but this is a gross breach of trust and inconsistent with the gospel values which Vanier purported to uphold. The revelations don't negate the powerful work of L'Arche but they undermine it, and of course, it shatters the image of Jean Vanier many of us have held.

Immediately some have reminded us that investing so much trust and power in one person is fraught with danger and I've already talked with admirers of Vanier's work who admitted their reservations about aspects of his life and his perceptions of women which unsettled them.

We can pray for those who work in L'Arche communities who must be reeling from this news, and for those who have given of their time to L'Arche through the years who are deeply disillusioned. This grief will be real and lasting. We can also pray for all the institutions, including schools named after him, which will be facing tough decisions for their futures. 

Most of all we can pray for the women who have lived with the misery of Vanier's abuse, even as he was being touted as a saintly figure. They have shown tremendous courage in naming his sin and we can only hope that this will be a step toward healing in their lives. 

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