Serious systemic church problems go down the generations

The story of the late Jean Vanier, founder of L'Arche, as it comes to light, is sad.

There is much to learn from it.

Jean Vanier was greatly influenced by a French Dominican, Thomas Philippe. In 2014 a canonical inquiry found the late Fr Philippe guilty of serious sexual abuse of women.

It is said that the allegations come from trustworthy people, that Jean Vanier under coercive conditions gave a mystical justification for his inappropriate sexual activity.

The Tablet quotes one woman: "When I expressed my astonishment saying ... how could I manifest my love to Jesus and to him [Vanier], he replied: 'But Jesus and myself, this is not two but one, but we are one ....It is Jesus who loves you through me.' "

Is that not copybook behaviour of the allegations made against the late Irish Carmelite priest Noel Dermot O'Donoghue?

It's always extremely dangerous to create gurus. It's always absurd to place any human person on a pedestal.

Jean Vanier was influenced by Thomas Philippe.

What happens across religious congregations and dioceses where 'senior clerics' are set up as gurus, given roles of authority, and then it turns out that they have engaged in criminal activity? For example, say men are vocations directors, is there need for a root and branch investigation to discover the damage they may have done?

Surely there is. Who should carry out the investigation?

The French Dominicans have set up two groups to assess the career of Fr Thomas Philippe.

The provincial of the French Dominicans Nicolas Tixier announced last month that there would be an investigation into the link between Vanier and Philippe.