Yet another "new religious movement" of the post-Conciliar age becomes a scandal magnet

Sexual violence in the Church: a report condemns the founder of the Congregation of St John, a leading figure in Catholicism

the gistA report published on Monday evening into sexual assaults within the religious community of the Brothers of St John points the finger at the central role played by its founder, Father Marie-Dominique Philippe. 

A report published on Monday evening into sexual assaults within the religious community of the Brothers of St John highlights the central role played by its founder, Father Marie-Dominique Philippe, a leading Catholic figure, and denounces the "systemic dimension" of the assaults.

The Saint-Jean family comprises three religious institutes: the Brothers of Saint-Jean (422 members today, founded in 1975), the Contemplative Sisters of Saint-Jean (53 members, founded in 1982) and the Apostolic Sisters of Saint-Jean (175 members, founded in 1984).

Delusional mystico-sexual theories

Following the revelation of cases of sexual violence - some of which have been brought to trial - within the "petits gris" (named after the habit worn by the brothers), the Saint-Jean family asked a multi-disciplinary commission to look into the origins of this "abuse", as the Congregation calls it.

The Commission published its 800-page report on Monday evening, after three years of work. Based on archives and eyewitness accounts, it describes "the direct and indirect central role" played by its founder, Father Marie-Dominique Philippe. Marie-Dominique Philippe (who died in 2006) and his brother Thomas Philippe (who died in 1993) had developed delusional mystico-sexual theories. "This role was direct (...) because of his own abuses and because he approved situations of abuse or turned a blind eye", explain the authors (historians, theologians, etc) of the report.

"He played an indirect role through the intellectual and spiritual formation he provided, because this encouraged a number of brothers and sisters to enter into equivocal relationships and to commit spiritual and sexual abuse", they continue. In their view, "this central role played by Father Marie-Dominique Philippe (...) is at the root of the systemic dimension of the abuse that took place in the Saint-Jean family".

"72 brothers committed sexual abuse"

Since 1975, the year the community was founded, "72 brothers have committed sexual abuse and 167 victims of brothers have been counted", the report states. "Most of the acts were committed by priest brothers in the context of spiritual accompaniment of adult women", add the authors of the report, who point out that the term "abuse" covers "acts of various kinds, ranging from solicitation to rape".

"The Saint-Jean family was contaminated from the outset by a kind of virus, (...) malicious (...), the most serious effect of which is the spread of sexual abuse accompanied by justifications", summarises the report.

Source