Organizations grapple with Vanier’s legacy
Report found prominent philanthropist who died last year was a sexual abuser
A Regina school is among several organizations contemplating a name change in the wake of a report that found non-profit found- er Jean Vanier sexually abused at least six women.
The release of the report sent a shock wave through the Canadian institutions associated with him, leaving many facing difficult decisions on how to disassociate from a man once considered a hero.
L’arche International said in a report that Vanier — a prominent Canadian Catholic figure who died last year at the age of 90 — had “manipulative sexual relationships” with at least six women between 1975 and 1990 in which he “used his power over them” to take advantage of them.
“The alleged victims felt deprived of their free will and so the sexual activity was coerced or took place under coercive conditions,” the report, commissioned by L’arche last year and prepared by the U.k.-based GCPS Consulting group, said. None of the women was disabled.
A number of Catholic schools across Canada are named after Vanier, and some have also begun debating whether to strip his name from their institutions.
In a statement, the Regina Catholic School Division said it expects to have conversations with the school community as well as the archdiocese before deciding whether to rename Jean Vanier School.
“The school is carrying on with business as usual,” said Twylla West, board communications co-ordinator. “We’re praying for the victims, and all victims of abuse, and thinking of their courage.”
At least one Ontario Catholic school in Milton is already considering a name change, while the Toronto Catholic District School Board expressed concern about the impact of the news but said it was too early to make a decision.
The news has both devastated and worried members of L’arche Daybreak in Richmond Hill, Ont., part of an international network of communities that support people with intellectual disabilities.
“So many of us are feeling so shocked, saddened, and the word that keeps coming back is betrayed,” Trish Glennon, a community leader at L’arche Daybreak, said Monday.
Vanier, son of former governor general Georges Vanier, worked as a Canadian navy officer and professor before turning to Catholic-inspired charity work.
He founded L’arche in 1964 as an alternative living environment where those with developmental disabilities could be full-fledged participants in the community instead of patients.
Glennon admitted she worries the revelations about the group’s founder will taint public perception of the non-profit. She said the last few days have been difficult, given that many in the organization knew Vanier personally and considered him an inspiration. But now, she says, L’arche will find inspiration from his victims instead.
“We have so much respect for those women who came forward and who stood up and finally told their story, and ... I really believe the courage of those women, I really believe helps us as an organization,” she said.
A website for the Jean Vanier Association announced it was shut down until further notice, instead directing visitors to L’arche’s site. But Cardus, a Christian think tank, decided to leave videos and articles featuring Vanier on its platform, accompanied by a statement acknowledging the abuse.
Daniel Proussalidis, the group’s director of communications, said the group also published an article denouncing Vanier’s acts while allowing his words to remain on their website, “hoping the truths he spoke publicly and the good being done at L’arche will endure.”
Representatives from the Order of Canada and the Order of Quebec did not confirm whether any discussions were underway to strip Vanier of awards. Jean Auclair, a spokesperson for the province, said any such discussions would be confidential.
Glennon, for her part, said it is too early to say what steps L’arche will eventually take in regards to acknowledging Vanier and his now-tarnished legacy, but she expects discussions will take place with the international community in the coming weeks and months.
For now, staff and volunteers at L’arche have been focused on supporting their members with intellectual disabilities and those who live among them. She stressed that L’arche is more than just its founder.
“I do still believe in our mission.”
So many of us are feeling so shocked, saddened, and the word that keeps coming back is betrayed.
All I could think about was how the victims had trusted him and then been betrayed.
This past Saturday morning I read the news and started to cry. I could not believe what I was reading about Jean Vanier — the Canadian founder of L’arche, an international organization devoted to supporting persons with intellectual disabilities. That day, L’arche concluded in a report that Mr. Vanier — who passed away last year — had sexually abused six women over the course of his career. I cannot overstate how shocked, saddened, and disappointed I was — and remain.
From the time I was a young girl, Mr. Vanier was my hero. Up until Saturday morning, every time I have been asked who I admire, or who is my hero, I have said Jean Vanier. For years, I have quoted him in speeches, in my correspondence, and in my conversations with others. I believed him to be a man who lived by the values he so beautifully articulated in his work and in his words. I had even written a letter of support when he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 2012, I hosted a world conference on disabilities, and I wrote a letter to Mr. Vanier to ask if he would be the conference’s honorary patron. He responded to me in a beautifully worded handwritten letter that I have kept and cherished. He agreed to be the honorary patron, and because his advanced age would not allow him to travel to the conference in Canada from his home in France, he wrote a message to the conference attendees that I read on his behalf. Reading this inspiring message from the person I considered to be the greatest living Canadian and my personal hero was a highlight of my life and work.
Three years later, when I had the opportunity to travel to France I contacted Mr. Vanier in advance to see if I might be able to meet him. He graciously agreed, and I took a train to the village where he lived in a humble house within a L’arche community. I spent an entire day with him, talking for hours, and when I left I was profoundly moved. My conversation with him had changed the way I thought about my daughter with unique needs, and what the future might hold for her.
Mr. Vanier was an extraordinary man, and my meeting with him confirmed that when you were in his presence, you felt his spiritual gifts. But on Saturday when I learned that the man I have so admired throughout my life had manipulated and sexually assaulted six women, I was overwhelmed with grief and anger. All I could think about was how the victims had trusted him — as had I and so many others — and then been betrayed.
I cannot help but think about how often this type of story is told — or perhaps even worse, NOT told. Women around the world — and people of all genders, for that matter — are abused and mistreated every day. I am thankful that we are talking about this issue and exposing it wherever we can — even if it means that we lose respect for some of our former heroes in the process.
I was shaken to the core by the news about Mr. Vanier, and the world got a little darker for me that day. It got even bleaker when a friend suggested to me that we shouldn’t have heroes, because they are bound to disappoint us.
I disagree. I want to believe in heroes, and I want to know that people are truly good, kind, and generous of spirit. Although my belief in the goodness of humanity took a big hit on Saturday, I will continue to look for heroes. But at the same time, I am going to take the anger, distrust and betrayal I feel right now and channel it into a commitment to fight for a better future for my daughters, and for my trusting granddaughters.