Chai Brady
Jean Vanier 1928-2019. Photo Credit: CNS Irish L’Arche Community Leaders are in “shock” and “anger” at what they see as the “betrayal” of founder Jean Vanier after revelations that he sexually abused multiple women.
The heads of the charity’s four centres in Cork, Kilkenny, Dublin and Belfast spoke to The Irish Catholic about their ongoing work to help staff and supporters affected by the news. Their focus, they said, will continue to be on the vulnerable people in their communities.
Leader in Dublin, Peter Shiels, said they are “absolutely devastated” after an inquiry launched by L’Arche International found the testimonies of six women relating to sexual abuse “credible” on Saturday.
Mr Shiels said that for many people who have given much of their lives to L’Arche’s cause the “wind has been taken out of their sails”.
“I think Jean was a very respected individual across many different traditions and in many different countries and I think for an awful lot of people they feel devastated, betrayed, hurt and genuinely confused at what seems to be mixed messages.
“We can see obviously the good, he was somebody that was decades ahead of his game in social care. Yet this conflicting behaviour, people are just really trying to make sense of that. The community are coming together for just a time to reflect and talk.”
Sentiment
L’Arche’s focus on compassion and building communities in which everyone is welcome will not change, a sentiment that is particularly important in Belfast “where there’s been a lot of division over the years”, according to community leader Scott Shively.
“I think in terms of why I’m here and why I think most of our staff are here is the people we work with, we really believe in building a community where everyone can belong and where everyone is celebrated for who they are in the world,” he said.
“I think it’s really hard when the person you’ve been looking up to all this time has let you down so spectacularly and then at the same time we can’t let that stop us from doing what we know is really good work.”
The sentiment was echoed in Kilkenny with community leader Chris Hayes saying the core values of L’Arche will remain.
Mr Hayes hopes people recognise that it’s something they have no control over. “Nobody within any of our communities has done anything wrong,” he said, “our safeguarding approach is very good.
“That’s the message I was trying to tell everybody today, that outside this very bad news there’s so much good in the community: that we don’t lose sight of that.”
In Cork, L’Arche leader Vivienne O’Brien said that she was “dreading” speaking to their assistants about Vanier, but that they said despite the news, what he wrote “was true”.
“Their experience of living with people with disabilities has changed them and they’ve developed real friendships… and it does bring out the best in them and in us. They’re young people who had that insight,” she said.
“What he did was terrible, but what we have to try and figure is that his word is true. When you hear young people saying that you realise that the messenger was wrong but the message is still the same.”