Jean Vanier, the founder of "L’Arche", a community that has been taking care of disabled people for 40 years, is turning eighty today. In an interview with Catho.be, of the Belgian Bishops conference, Mr Vanier explained why he had decided to create this community. "I wanted to create a place where people who are oppressed, confined in mental hospitals and living in difficult or sorrowful situations could receive support. I tried to help these people find their freedom so that they could understand their longings and fulfil them. I have always thought that the most important thing was to establish relations. This means to help these people be who they are with their handicaps. As everyone of us has their own history, their intelligence, their weaknesses and their strength and people are called to help their neighbours accept what they are". Today, L’Arche international is a federation of 135 communities in 36 countries throughout the world. It has 5 thousands members, some with mental handicap and some without, who share their lives in these communities and institutions.” “
