Jean Vanier and Ian Brown in Trosly-Breuil

Since September, the Globe and Mail has been publishing a monthly exchange of letters between Jean and journalist Ian Brown. In the letters published on Saturday, November 29, Jean Vanier writes about the delicate question of abortion.

The issue is complex, and Jean places it directly and firmly in the context of a society that encourages individual liberty, individuality, and success. This contextualization is all the more important because it allows him to emphasize the point that, in such a society, the recognition of the value of society’s most fragile and vulnerable beings can only be diminished and weakened.

That said, Jean Vanier stresses that it is not for him to judge who should be awarded the Order of Canada. He nevertheless seizes the opportunity offered by Ian Brown’s question (Why did you not return your Order of Canada as others did?) to remind us of happy, and less-than-happy, aspects of Canadian history, in order to plead with Canadians to live, intensely, the ideals that have been passed down to them, ideals which are at the heart of their identity.

These cultural ideals of justice, peace, openness, and welcome are, in reality, the necessary conditions that allow us, together, to create a deep sense of belonging, and to open ourselves to the more just and humane treatment of people who are fragile, vulnerable, and marginalized.

Jean's letter is impeccable and full of compassion and humanity. The Globe’s editor suggests that Jean’s position on abortion demonstrates a surprising tolerance in someone who is an “icon of Catholicism.” Right from the start of his letter, however, Jean makes his position clear. “I think most people are quite aware of my belief in the importance and value of all life and particularly the life of people whose disabilities are apparent before birth.”  The tolerance to which the editor refers is, above all else, rooted in the Gospel. It recognizes the suffering that afflicts many who find themselves alone, in a situation that is at once agonizing and profoundly human.

If the media’s need for a good “sound bite” led the editor to highlight Jean’s comment that “I do not want to say that such a person, in anguish, is a ‘killer,’” it would have been fairer to include the second part of his statement as well: “I want to walk with her and perhaps cry with her.”

It is noticeable that in the comments that have been published on-line, many readers have written that they were touched by the tone underlying this exchange between Ian Brown and Jean, a tone that is quite uncommon in the usual discussions of this delicate – to say the least – topic.

Could it be that this exchange stands as an example, all too rare, of reflection and compassion walking side by side? Of the fragility of all beings and all things not simply being discarded in the face of the complexities of life? Of the recognition of the differences in the perspective of individuals, but a recognition that always strives to open hearts and deepen dialogue?

“We are not in a situation where we must choose between abortion and its rejection, between pro-life and pro-choice positions,” Jean insists. Human frailty, the complexity of our lives and the personal and sacred histories of each person must lead us beyond these misplaced debates. The real question, he emphasizes, the only one that remains when the arguments of one “side” or the other are exhausted, is the following: How do we understand “life”; what is the meaning of “life”?

No doubt, those who wished to see Jean Vanier say a firm “no” to abortion will be disappointed. Others may be surprised, as the Globe’s editor noted in his introduction.

For those of us who are part of L’Arche, it remains important, nevertheless, to allow ourselves to be inspired by Jean – by his words, which do not pronounce judgment, and by his sensitivity, which always finds its source in compassion and in the Gospel.

"L'Arche has shown me that we become fully human as we open up to others
who are in need, who are different, who are vulnerable and weak."

Our witness, and our willingness to be, for our fellow citizens, a living and authentic sign that the presence of – and the welcoming of – the most fragile people into the heart of our communities are, and will remain, our greatest strengths.

Jean-Louis Munn
L'Arche Canada-Communications