A charitable organization founded by the late Jean Vanier issued a report Monday saying the Canadian sexually abused at least 25 women during his decades with the group.
It disputes Vanier’s account of the origins of L’Arche, saying it was not a “revelation” during a visit to a psychiatric facility that led him to found the charity. Rather, the devotion to help people with disabilities offered a “screen” for Vanier to continue his association with Philippe, who espoused “mystico-sexual” beliefs and had been sanctioned by the Catholic Church previously for abuse.
“It was within the community of Trosly that the majority of the cases of control and sexual abuse investigated by the commission took place,” the report reads. “People accused of sexual abuse have been members and have held positions of responsibility there, victims still live nearby.”
There was no evidence that intellectually disabled people had been abused. The alleged abuse was mostly confined to the community in France, but the commission said it received accounts of abuse in other countries, including Canada and India. The women linked to Vanier were all described as young adults, between 20 and 35 years old—single, married or having taken religious vows.
“Without necessarily declaring themselves all victims, the women who testified underline the confusion between the spiritual, affective and sexual planes, which characterized the relationship,” the report reads.
“We stand with them and others who have suffered abuse,” the Canadian branch said.
The revelations in February 2020 left the Canadian branch and numerous Canadian organizations grappling with what to do about Vanier. His name is attached to several Catholic schools across Canada, and he was also the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, including the Order of Canada and the Order of Quebec.
They found no sign of a coverup of the acts, which were limited to a small nucleus of the sect that included Vanier and Philippe.
“We again express our gratitude to those who, a few years ago, broke the silence about Father Thomas Philippe (in 2014) and then about Jean Vanier and thus helped others to free themselves from an intolerable burden,” the organization said, adding: “What justifies L’Arche is not its founder, but the life of its members, with and without disabilities, at the service of a more human society.”