Jean Vanier, Once Seen as a Nobel or Sainthood Candidate, Now Accused of Abusive Sexual Relationships
The Washington Post’s Julie Zauzmer reports that L’Arche International founder Jean Vanier “had coercive sexual relationships with six women,” according to a report released by L’Arche, an organization that supports adults with intellectual disabilities. A lay Catholic, Vanier died last May and was previously thought to be on track to become a Catholic saint. Michael Higgins, professor at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut and author of a biography on Vanier, said, “We need prominent figures of personal integrity. Jean Vanier was one of those figures, unbesmirched by scandal—all of that now has been profoundly compromised.”