Campaign by anticlerical left against the Canons Regular of the Mother of God at Lagrasse
Hunt on for the traditionalists: a cry against Lagrasse Abbey!
From 2024
Lagrasse is a small village in the Corbières region with a population of 541 at the last census. Along the Orbieu River, a majestic abbey greets visitors. Its flamed sandstone walls, dating from the Maurist reforms of the Grand Siècle, conceal foundations dating back to Charlemagne. Throughout history, the abbey has experienced the country's political upheavals, not the least of which was the French Revolution, of course. And, since the nationalization of clergy property has taken place, a third of the abbey still belongs to the General Council of the Aude department. In this part of the abbey, the "book banquet" is held every year. To avoid subjective attacks, you can form your own opinion on the internet or the website of the newspaper L'Humanité. However, among the guests of the 2024 edition, let's mention the historian Patrick Boucheron, to whom we owe the script for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games...
The remaining two-thirds have had varying fortunes, until their purchase in 2004 by the Canons Regular of the Mother of God, a community of Augustinians, formerly established in Moissac and then in Gap. The canons have carried out extensive restoration work and are happy to offer tours of their abbey, including to famous writers (see the book Three Days and Three Nights, already reviewed on this site). Cultural life at the abbey is no exception: in fact, one of the canons, Father Michel, exchanged views this year with Michel Onfray on the Figaro website, in a high-profile debate hosted by Eugénie Bastié. In short, the proximity of a "traditionalist" abbey (since Masses are celebrated in Gregorian chant) and a progressive "cultural center" has a touch of Don Camillo about it. Only a touch of Don Camillo, because the coexistence goes far beyond the squabbles of the old series. While the canons are careful not to interfere in any way in municipal life, the Aude politicians have brought out the canon of 155 to "crush the infamous," as Voltaire said. A hostile book
The latest attack comes in the form of a book (Lagrasse Abbey, Between Masks and Lies), published by Éditions Golias (affiliated with the far-left magazine that calls itself Catholic) and written by a certain Jean-Michel Mariou. Creator of the literary program Qu'est-ce qu'elle dit, Zazie? on France 3, then director of France 3 Languedoc-Roussillon, the man is originally from Lagrasse and was for a long time president of "Le Marque-Page," the association that organizes the Banquet du livre.
On this subject—Lagrasse Abbey is successful… and the left is afraid!
In this short book, we discover that, for Jean-Michel Mariou, the community of canons, which is celebrating its twentieth anniversary in the Aude region, is founded on a lie. Indeed, its founder, Roger Pequigney, in religion Father Wladimir-Marie de Saint-Jean, was exfiltrated in 2006 to the Abbey of En Calcat, where, as a simple oblate, he died over a year ago. Apparently, the cause was a series of complaints of sexual and moral harassment against numerous canons. There you have it, the revelation. Monsignor Emmanuel, the current Father Abbot, spoke of an "ordeal." This is probably the most appropriate term. There is neither a "lie" nor a "mask" here; simply a family of religious men who lick their wounds out of sight and unhesitatingly dismiss their black sheep, even though they were at the origin of this magnificent flowering of brothers and preachers, now established in several other parts of France.
The art of insinuation
We've known since Bernanos (reread Father Donissan's chilling encounter with the Devil in Under the Sun of Satan) that the devil only comes to visit those who risk becoming saints: the others are damned by themselves. Perhaps Roger Péquigney was always a perverse criminal, or perhaps the devil came to visit for him. God knows. All this probably goes way over Mr. Mariou's head, who only wants, with this concentration of filth and innuendo, to eradicate the religious and continue his little meetings with cultural boomers at the foot of the thousand-year-old abbey, which has seen far worse things happen.
It will be of benefit to read the servile review by his former employees (Abbaye de Lagrasse, entre masques et mensonges: un livre-investigatif sur une communauté religieuse qui fait politique, Francetvinfo.fr), which shows that taxpayers' money is clearly used for everything. We will also notice that nothing seems to be substantiated, in particular the allegations about a "galaxy" which would include Bolloré, Dassault, "journalists", "a publisher", all that.
It is worth reading the slavish review by its former employees (Abbaye de Lagrasse, entre masques et mensonges : un livre-enquête sur une communauté religieuse qui fait polémique, Francetvinfo.fr), which shows that taxpayers' money can be used for anything. It also shows that nothing seems to be substantiated, especially the allegations about a "galaxy" that includes Bolloré, Dassault, "journalists" and "a publisher", all of which are "very difficult to verify", according to the author. I agree. Hats off to you, artist, for a solid piece of work! We're not far from Watergate.
The subtitle of this book, which need not be qualified, is "an investigation into God's soldiers". Jean-Michel Mariou charges like a soldier, albeit from afar and with his pen, but he does not work for God. Who could his boss be?
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