William Lindsey Mar 29, 2023

Nicole Winfield reports on the effect that revelations that L'Arche founder Jean Vanier "perverted Catholic doctrine about Jesus and Mary to justify his own sexual compulsions and abuse women" are having on members of this religious community.

As she writes,

#JeanVanier #Catholic #SexualAbuse
/1

https://apnews.com/article/vatican-larche-catholic-abuse-disabilities-vanier-philippe-cb07166b8eda78a8a446a1c7a22008cb

Shattered: Catholic community confronts its founder's lies

ROCCA DI PAPA, Italy (AP) — The findings of an initial expert report were astonishing: One of the 20th century’s revered Catholic leaders, who built an international movement of community care for people with intellectual disabilities, perverted Catholic doctrine about Jesus and Mary to justify his own sexual compulsions and abuse women.

Associated Press
Show threadWilliam Lindsey 

"[This is] the latest case of a Catholic giant, considered a living saint by his admirers and eulogized as a 'great' Christian by Pope Francis, falling to revelations that he abused his power to sexually exploit women under his spiritual sway. …

The nearly 900-page forensic history of the scandal is remarkable, providing perhaps the best documented case of a phenomenon that has existed in the Catholic Church for centuries but is increasingly coming to the public fore:"

#JeanVanier
/2

Mar 29, 2023 at 3:42pmWeb
Show threadWilliam Lindsey Mar 29, 2023

"spiritual charlatans using false mysticism to manipulate their victims and abuse them sexually.

Significantly, L’Arche was able to obtain a summary report of Phillipe’s 1956 canonical trial, which shows the Vatican was well-versed in the dynamics of abuse of power over women, decades before the #MeToo movement put it in the spotlight."

#JeanVanier #Catholic #SexualAbuse
/3

Show threadDeb4+ aka Deborah DT 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Mar 29, 2023

@wdlindsy

And many try to make it out as only a gay thing

Show threadWilliam Lindsey Mar 29, 2023
@DeborahForPlus Yes, despite the fact that the membership of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests was, from the start of SNAP, comprised of more women than men. Catholic officials worked hard from the outset to make the abuse story a story about homosexuality, to scapegoat gay men and gay priests — but there's abundant evidence of longstanding abuse of women by Catholic clerics abusing their pastoral role with women.
Show threadDeb4+ aka Deborah DT 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Mar 29, 2023
@wdlindsy Oh i didn't even know the details but I've certainly heard all my life about girls and women being abused. Scapegoating. Sure that's it. Grrrr.
Show threadWilliam Lindsey Mar 30, 2023
@DeborahForPlus Yes, it has been like a whole genre of Catholic subculture conversation for a very long time, hasn't it — priests who take advantage of girls and women? I personally have known a number of those priests, and don't think they are rarities when it comes to violating their vows in that way.