The Betrayal of Witness: Reflections on the Downfall of Jean Vanier

The downfall of Jean Vanier due to the history of sexual abuse that came to light in 2020 has shocked everyone familiar with his life and work as the founder and leader of L'Arche. The authors in this book raise significant questions regarding his influential legacy and its relevance for theology and disability and for L'Arche in particular. Without any attempt to whitewash or downplay the seriousness of his transgressions, the question cannot be avoided to sort out the good and the bad in Vanier. It requires soul-searching on the part of his theological heirs and those who have been influenced by him. Finally, his work with and influence upon L'Arche raises the question of sustainability and how its communities might--or might not--be shaped by his tarnished legacy.


About the Author
Stanley Hauerwas is professor emeritus of ethics at Duke University where he held the Gilbert T. Rowe chair for more than twenty years. Among his numerous publications are Sanctify Them in the Truth: Holiness Exemplified (1998) and Living Gently in a Violent World, with Jean Vanier (2008). His latest publication is Fully Alive: The Apocalyptic Humanism of Karl Barth (University of Virginia Press, 2023).

Hans Reinders is professor emeritus of ethics at VU University Amsterdam where he taught from 1995 to 2016. In 2010 he edited The Paradox of Disability: Responses to Jean Vanier and L'Arche Communities from Theology and the Sciences. He authored many publications on disability, theology, and ethics with a focus on L'Arche, among them "Being with the Disabled: Jean Vanier's Theological Realism" in 2012, and "Transforming Friendship: An Essay in Honor of Jean Vanier" in 2015.