Heart and Soul: The ‘living saint’ who hid a mystical sex sect

The Documentary Podcast

BBC

Society & Culture, Documentary, Personal Journals

4.3 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 2 June 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jean Vanier changed Richard and Hazel’s lives. He founded the L’Arche movement – a global network inspired by Christian teaching – where people with and without learning disabilities live together in community. During his life, Vanier was hailed as “a living saint” and “a prophet”. But shortly after his death, a deep and disturbing secret emerged – that Vanier founded L’Arche to hide a mystical sex sect, coercing and abusing at least 25 women, all without disabilities. Richard and Hazel were stunned when they discovered the truth. Now they and 150 L’Arche communities are coming to terms with what has happened.

Transcript

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0:00.0	In 2011, the Fukushima nuclear power plant on the east coast of Japan was struck by a tsunami.
0:07.0	It triggered the world's worst nuclear disaster since Shinobu.
0:11.0	We are in a nuclear emergency!
0:14.0	Fukushima, a new audio drama series from the BBC World Service,
0:18.0	tells the story of how the disaster unfolded and of those living with its aftermath.
0:23.0	The radiation is here, it's everywhere.
0:26.0	The research for Fukushima, rather you get your BBC podcasts.
0:30.0	Thank you very much!
0:34.0	A group of friends are having a meal in Paris.
0:38.0	They're excited to see each other.
0:41.0	Later, they ask big questions about a man they thought they all knew.
0:47.0	A man who set up a global pioneering Christian community called Lash
0:53.0	that supports people with learning disabilities.
0:56.0	A man called Jean-Vagne, who's left them feeling betrayed.
1:01.0	This is the documentary from the BBC World Service.
1:07.0	I'm Catherine Murray, and in this episode of Heart & Soul,
1:11.0	which explores personal approaches to spirituality from around the world,
1:16.0	you'll hear how a man, praised as a living saint, abused the trust of those around him.
1:22.0	How he hid a mystical sex sect, and how they, Scroop of Friends,
1:27.0	are coming to terms with the truth.
1:30.0	But first, they're talking about the places that their communities take in them around the world.
1:36.0	When you go into the last community in another country, you're at home.
	...

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