Distressing Revelation
Late at night on Feb. 21, the Globe and Mail newspaper released a shocking story that in an internal investigation ordered by l'Arche itself, Jean Vanier, its revered Canadian founder, has been found out to have himself abused at least six women over the course of a 35 year period.
Some Resources:This news is really distressing for me and for many others, as many of us at King's (King's College-Western University, London, Ontario) where I work have (close to) "revered" Jean Vanier as a contemporary saint. We even have a research centre at our university named after him dedicated to studying his valuable contributions to, among others, the valorization of those with various disabilities. It turns out, Vanier had a very dark and hidden shadow in him which was largely left unaddressed and unsolved and which wrought damage in his victims and many others.
An excellent initial report by the Jesuit magazine America / The pdf version of the report released by l'Arche
I am sorry, first of all, for the women who had to endure this abuse from Vanier and I admire their courage for coming out to tell the terrible truth. I hope they find some measure of healing and closure.
The Unhealed Wound
At this point, I cannot help but think about what the late Catholic psychologist Eugene Kennedy (a former priest) argued for mainly in a book called The Unhealed Wound: The Church, the Priesthood, and the Question of Sexuality, a book I read many years ago which, I remember, made a deep impression on me.In his review of the book, John Krejci, describes the book thus,
In the Unhealed Wound Eugene Kennedy, psychologist and married [former] priest, applies to the Church the mythological tales of the Western Knight, who, seeking the Holy Grail, slays the Eastern Knight, who symbolized nature, But in his victory the Western Knight is wounded and the wound will not heal until someone asks, "What is it that ails you?" and the wound is acknowledged. In other words, the Church cannot be whole or fully holy until it recognizes its wound, its imperfection.
Kennedy is therefore putting the spotlight on the fact that there is "an unhealed wound" in the collective psyche of many Catholics, particularly, in those who are in its structural core, namely, members of the hierarchy, members of religious orders and (I would definitely include) spiritual leaders and teachers (even though they are lay people like Jean Vanier).
This unhealed wound refers to an unwholesome, better yet, a very SICK attitude to sexuality. Kennedy argued (convincingly for me) that historical and conventional Catholicism has driven an unhealthy wedge between grace and nature, practically equating "grace" positively with the state of chastity and celibacy on the one hand, and, on the other, "nature" as sexuality, but viewed in a very negative way and often demonized. Catholicism has never succeeded to integrate these two factors in a healthy, wholesome way, hence, the wound remains and continues to fester, affecting and victimizing so many people in the process.
It is this woeful lack of wholesome integration between spirituality, humanity and sexuality in the common Catholic psyche (especially of Catholic leaders [and Jean Vanier was one such leader in the l'Arche community and among his admirers]) that has resulted in many terrible consequences, such as the continuing scourge of sexual abuse done by some in positions of spiritual authority toward those who are under their authority and pastoral care. Of course, we have to add to that the self-deception and abuse of spiritual authority that are very common in religious/spiritual leaders. The pattern is seen ad nauseam in the many instances of sexual abuse that have plagued the Catholic Church in recent years. This is--I would venture--also clearly seen in what transpired and has been distressingly revealed in Jean Vanier and his spiritual mentor, the Dominican Fr. Thomas Philippe, who also sexually abused people under their authority and care.
[Recalling the Toronto Symposium on Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church] We had a noteworthy symposium in Toronto in 2019 about the Catholic sexual abuse crisis. My notes on that symposium are here.
Unhealed Wounds
Unhealed wounds, if not treated properly, go on to fester and eventually can lead to serious infection and even sepsis, a point when the whole organism begins to shut down in a fatal way. I think that this applies in many ways to institutional Roman Catholicism.
Something radical has to be done -- something tantamount to removing the "band aids" that cover the disgusting and festering wound particularly of the Catholic Church's leadership structure. Kennedy said years ago that healing will never come until someone asks the one who is wounded "What is it that ails you?" and truly acknowledges the wound. What is so distressing is that so many people have already asked and acknowledged this. The terrible effects of the wound have been demonstrated in case after case of sexual abuse ad nauseam, as we also see in this latest round of revelations about Jean Vanier and his mentor. The burning question for me and for many is ... what if the wounded person continues to refuse to be healed? What is there still to be done?
My Continued Appreciation for l'Arche
I would also like to say clearly that these revelations about Jean Vanier do not subtract in any way from my deep respect and appreciation for the many outstanding things that l'Arche (its members and the many people who support it-you know who you are!) is doing in the world, particularly, for people with various disabilities. I will continue to support them and I hope its various patrons continue to do so. Keep up the good work and more power to you, l'Arche!
My "further thoughts" on the Jean Vanier revelations can be found HERE
I am with you.
ReplyDelete