Representatives from Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Kenya, Haiti, Mexico, Honduras, the Philippines, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, and Lithuania gathered on Zoom from May 25 to 28 for a training session organized by L'Arca Internazionale. I was there representing Il Chicco, our community. The group was genuinely international—many differences, yet common ground. Above all, we shared the experience of two tsunamis that had swept through us: the findings of the inquiry into Jean Vanier, and almost simultaneously, the COVID-19 emergency.
Stephan Posner and Stacy Cates-Carney, who lead L'Arca Internazionale, guided the training with care, steadying and encouraging the communities as we searched for new footing, a place to stand firm again. Each of us had many questions. For many, it had been hard to share what the inquiry revealed with their own communities—harder still to process it. Some people, even now, express disbelief and confusion.
Stephan and Stacy had steered the inquiry with precision and fidelity to the facts, making decisions in what they believed was the best interest of L'Arca's mission and the members directly affected. How do we move forward? L'Arca Internazionale plans to deepen the investigation further through an interdisciplinary study commission made up of external specialists from various fields. The commission will examine Jean Vanier's path more carefully during the time of L'Arca's founding and study the dynamics of the L'Arca system itself through interviews with members and non-members. They will also have access to archives from the Dominicans and the Vatican related to the inquiry into Father Thomas Philippe.
Jean Vanier's writings and interviews will be analyzed by a dedicated committee. Many of us worried we might lose this precious collection of books and materials, and we asked whether we could still use them in our communities or whether we had to wait for the committee's findings. The international leaders gave us full freedom. We can decide for ourselves how—or whether—to use Jean's books.
It was also valuable to hear how different communities had shared the inquiry findings with people with intellectual disabilities: drawings, skits, simplified stories—each community chose tools suited to its own culture. For some, communicating the findings about Jean to the people we welcome remains difficult. Here too, leaders emphasized freedom, with a reminder that silence itself carries a message, especially to the sensitive, perceptive people in our care.
Then came the first wave of crisis. The COVID-19 emergency hit hard. At different times, depending on location, our communities experienced isolation of varying severity. Some lost members, experiencing a grief unlike any other. Alongside these painful events, every community discovered tremendous creativity. Technology allowed us to share tea together between communities over Skype or Zoom, exchange greetings or stories by video call, express ourselves artistically by drawing the coronavirus in countless forms, send photos and videos to keep the bond alive among members of our extended family.
What struck everyone was the extraordinary resilience shown by people with disabilities. They were confined to their homes, unable to go to work in our labs, unable to go to cafes, unable to see family and friends. They taught us a powerful lesson.
Throughout the training, we shared all of this—and so much more—with the understanding that we are both heirs and founders at the same time. Being faithful to the inheritance we have received at L'Arca does not mean repeating the past. Fidelity means recovering the spirit of the foundation and bringing something new. We trust in L'Arca's charism. We know there is solid ground beneath our feet, even when earthquakes shake us. We said goodbye and embraced one another—virtually, but truly—knowing that only by accepting our own limitations can we grow and see beyond.
