So why is understanding Vanier so important for me?
It's because, as a layman, he modeled holiness for me. He accompanied the outcasts and marginalized. He prayed and seemed to exemplify a contemplative spirituality in the world. He did great good, no doubt. I stand by my opinion that he did not fall from grace in the same way a man struggling with living a chaste and celibate life can fail, sometimes seriously and for a length of time, only to repent and continue to strive for holiness and continence.
Vanier and P. Philippe on the other hand, developed a 'mystical theology of sexual consciousness', as it were. Their acts were somehow justified in their holistic spiritual direction - it was sacramentalized - Vanier's action were sanctioned by the spiritual director, and his brother priest, Dominique. Were they deluded? Not necessarily, since they were deliberate in developing a system, a school of spirituality. I keep repeating, this is not normal, this is not ordinary mysticism - it is not Catholic. Likewise, they didn't just 'trip up', falling prey to their appetites, their lust.
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Anyway, I discovered today Fr. Longenecker's article titled, Witchcraft, Sex Magic and Jean Vanier. I thought to myself, 'at last he really gets it!' I think rather than pointing out all the 'isms' (Communism, Marxism, 'homosexulism', etc.) for all the strange falls of cardinals, bishops and priests - along with their proteges, be they members of the order they founded, or co-workers, or spiritual children, we need to look for what allowed such misconduct. We need to understand what allowed them to justify their behavior, to live without guilt. How could they live a spiritual life, celebrate the sacraments, profess fidelity to the Church, unless they 'moved beyond the institutional forms, boundaries'?
Anyway, Fr. Longenecker is onto something, and I hope he pursues it and develops it without sensationalizing it. This is not a crackpot theory by any means. An excerpt from Fr. Longenecker:
WITCHCRAFT, SEX MAGIC AND JEAN VANIER
More information is now emerging about the manipulative sexual behaviors of John Vanier and his spiritual director Rev Thomas Philippe. The independent investigation on his actions reports:
“The relationships … are described as emotionally abusive and characterised by significant imbalances of power, whereby the alleged victims felt deprived of their free will and so the sexual activity was coerced or took place under coercive conditions,” the report stated.One victim said Vanier told her: “This is not us, this is Mary and Jesus. You are chosen, you are special, this is secret.”Vanier’s method of sexually grooming women he was spiritually advising and telling them that the sex was a religious action echoed what Philippe was accused of. One woman told the investigators she went to Philippe to complain about Vanier’s actions, and Philippe sexually assaulted her. “It started with him, the same as with Jean Vanier,” the woman said. “He was not tender like Jean Vanier. More brutal, no intercourse, same words to say that I am special and that all this is about Jesus and Mary.”
My friend Kevin O’Brien wrote a perceptive email about this sort of behavior on Sunday. Kevin was critical of some of Christopher West’s Theology of the Body teachings because there was a mystical aspect to sex integrated into the teaching–that somehow the sexual act could
“bring about esoteric enlightenment, and claiming that a man could indulge in behaviors others would consider sinful, once he was spiritually mature. That’s the game, you see. Philippe and Vanier would claim,”that when one arrives at perfect love, everything is lawful, for there is no more sin.” (That quote is from the L’Arche report.) And so it’s OK to have sex and pretend to be uniting with God Himself in the process – because you’ve arrived at “perfect love”, see?”
Finish reading here.
From Pope Benedict on his way to Fatima 2010: "In terms of what we today can discover in this Our Lady's message, attacks against the pope or the church don’t come just from outside the church. The suffering of the church also comes from within the church, because sin exists in the church. This too has always been known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way. The greatest persecution of the church doesn’t come from enemies on the outside, but is born in sin within the church. The church thus has a deep need to re-learn penance, to accept purification, to learn on one hand forgiveness but also the necessity of justice. Forgiveness does not exclude justice. We have to re-learn the essentials: conversion, prayer, penance, and the theological virtues. That’s how we respond, and we can be realistic in expecting that evil will always launch attacks from within and from outside, but the forces of good are also always present, and finally the Lord is stronger than evil. The Madonna for us is the visible maternal guarantee that the will of God is always the last word in history." - NCR
Link: Brief Formulations of New Age Ideas.
Straight out evil manipulation with some crazy thrown in. His legacy is now this. He used people for his own self gratification. The good washes away under the vile river of selfishness. I turn my back on him now.
ReplyDeletePeople on FB think I'm nuts for writing this.
DeleteWhat? Crazy calling out & rejecting a predator? I just cannot wrap my mind around how people dismiss and defend men like this. I am now nimb to clerical accusations, but lay people who are esteemed and leaders still stings. I said a prayer for his soul because I feel quilts for my previous post. I cannot retract it however because men like this benefit from out too quick forgiveness and forgetfulness. Still it is good that it is revealed.
DeleteTerry,
ReplyDeleteMr.JV lived to be 90 years old. A lifetime to repent, do penance, ask for forgiveness. Who knows if he did. No one has reported as such except that he asked the women to keep their relationships with him secret.
I hope for the sake of his eternal soul, he did otherwise ...
Sadly he approved of euthanasia not long before his death, when the issue came up for vote. So I think his personal spirituality-theology remained problematic. Only God knows at this time.
DeleteReading the official postings of L'Arche is revealing, stunning and enlightening. Mysticism, manipulation, denial, revelation-all there on their timeline. What is clear is the victim accusations began before Jean Vanier died. He responded to at least one writing he thought consensual. Perhaps then he did repent before death. Makes me believe in the need for purgatory. I hope so. The sordid story officially begins in 1946 in France with the charismatic Dominican who enters and leaves Jean's life a number of times. Even with official investigations and condemnation the practices did not stop. Disconcerting, troubling and a warning for us all.
DeleteI hope for you and your friend a happy and fruitful Lent, Terry. I am going to try and take Papa Francis's advice and do my best to get off the Internet and avoid gossip, being lazy, cursing and eating too much. >×<
DeleteMy goal will be to loosen up the plank in my left eye before I try removing the ones others may have.
Until we meet again, God bless.
Terry thank you for the article you site above by Fr L. It is very relevant, well written and thought provoking. The tantric sex stuff is a big ruse out there which is a wide net cast out for spiritual seekers who are vulnerable to all these so called spiritual development gurus.
ReplyDeleteWallace - I wrote a long reply to you and obviously it didn't publish. I don't know why comments are so screwed up - I just found one of yours in moderation and I published it.
DeleteI'm so glad not to pay any attention to anyone. I go to church and Fr Cyril recommends book for lent. I have to find mine and read it.
ReplyDelete