LE FIGARO. - Why did the family of little Émile request prayer through the intercession of the venerable Benoîte Rencurel, here in Saint-Étienne-le-Laus, when there are sanctuaries closer to Haut-Vernet?
Father Michel DESPLANCHES. -
They are regular and serious pilgrims to the sanctuary for the mercy of fishermen. They have a very good knowledge of the life of Benoîte Rencurel, the visionary shepherdess of Laus. Several times lost at night in the mountain, because of the demon, she had each time been accompanied home by her angel who lit her way. And then, one of the special graces of this place is that of consolation. It is a Marian sanctuary, with a maternal dimension and infinite sweetness. We don't pass here by chance, we come here with things.
What does this drama inspire you, in your capacity as an ecclesiastic?
Lots of sadness of course. We can't help but think of parents, of family. But at the same time, now that the outcome is certain and that providentially it was on Easter Day that these remains were found, it is a call to faith. The basis of the Christian faith is the victory of the innocent over the executioners. And little Emile's smile is stronger than the violence of death. This smile crosses death. During this Holy Week, we went through the suffering of the cross, through the silence of Holy Saturday - and God knows it must have been heavy for the family - and then the resurrection on Easter night. He who was dead is alive. Also, this kind of dejection that we can witness is not the last word for a Christian.
But absence, in any case terrestrial...
The cross is always a paradoxical sign. It tells us both the horror of death and the victory of love. And then you know, when we have a formed faith, and I know that this is the case of little Émile's family, we are aware that life continues despite the passage of death. This is why I am talking to you about a form of provocation to faith. Prayer is also that. We are not addressing the genius of Aladdin. It is about being available to the will of God, which is far beyond us. We will arrive in heaven with lots of questions. In any case, do we believe that weakness and innocence are stronger than violence and evil? The big Easter answer is to say yes.
A photo of little Émile was placed on the altar of the sanctuary of Notre-Dame du Laus, to the left of the tabernacle, where Christ on the cross appeared several times to Benoîte Rencurel, between 1664 and 1718. Nicolas Daguin / Le Figaro
As for the pressure, even the media hype surrounding this affair, do you consider it unhealthy?
This morning I listened to a journalist who recalled that
“the news creates a diversion”
. It's true, he's still a diversionary tool. Only the family has the right to peace, respect, modesty and discretion. Values which, I know, are extremely rare today, especially since media exposure is always a court that rushes to judge and catalog without knowing anything or knowing, or too little. In an exploded society like ours, everyone acts as judge of their neighbor. The citizen's reflex must first be to trust the investigators and the justice system, which calls for reserve. All this may seem a little out of date, old-fashioned, but what do you want, we cannot treat the death of a child like the theft of a shampoo.
There is more, no offense to certain commentators, than emotion. Truth be told, emotion is actually the final stage of reasoning and even intelligence. It is certainly not the last word of existence. We think, we pray
Michel Desplanches, rector of the sanctuary of Notre-Dame du Laus
In this sense, are you touched by the silence of little Émile's parents, from the beginning?
Yes, I am very touched by their dignity. Where everyone spreads out, the family has remained very discreet and very modest. This is to their credit. There is more, no offense to certain commentators, than emotion. Truth be told, emotion is actually the final stage of reasoning and even intelligence. It is certainly not the last word of existence. We think, we pray. This is why little Émile's family requested the prayers of the nuns and priests of the sanctuary here.
However, some did not hesitate to describe this silence as contemptuous, even suspicious...
Who exactly are we talking about? As far as I am concerned, through all the parishes I passed through, I received many messages and words of prayer for little Émile. There are people who have made rosary chains and many other things. This little child touched everyone and it's very good. The grandmothers saw him as their grandson, the children as their little brother, the parents as their child...
... And the religious people like their little angel?
Angels don't have bodies, they are spirits! Besides, this child is no longer there and a child who disappears is always a door to the future that closes and the source of a lot of pain.
You celebrated several masses for little Émile...
Absolutely. Yesterday again. We also put a small basket so that pilgrims could place their prayers on the altar of apparitions, where we installed a photo of the child for a few days. And what is very beautiful is to see that the family's calls to prayer have been heard on all sides. Here I have pilgrims from all over France and abroad, and they are all praying for Émile. There is a very fraternal feeling that surrounds the drama.
This fraternal impulse surprises you?
I don't know if forty years ago we would have experienced things in the same way... Christians who have a formed and living faith perhaps feel more united than before. There is a family feeling growing in the Church today, undoubtedly because society is no longer modeled on Christian life. I see it here in this sanctuary, which I would also like to talk about for something else, because it is a magnificent place that is too little known.