In the movie I will always see your faces, by Jeanne Herry (2023), the character played by Adèle Exarchopoulos, victim of incest committed by her brother, undertakes a process of restorative justice. “We need to ask ourselves together about the notion of forgiveness”the advisor who accompanies him tells him. “He can always try, we’ll see”, replies the young woman. But no, the counselor asks her if she herself would be ready to ask forgiveness from her brother (whom she sent to prison). Disbelief of the victim: that she, whose life has been ruined, asks him for forgiveness? She who is not even sure that she would grant him his, if he asked her?
The fact that forgiveness is a moral necessity is widely shared. The question crosses all cultures. “Forgiveness is a Christian requirement”can we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Mame/Plon, 1992). A priori, no real dilemma for the good Christian: “Christianity generally holds forgiveness to be a Christian duty, based on a theology that views reconciliation as the heart of salvation history.”write theologians Karlijn Demasure and Jean-Guy Nadeau in their article “Between the duty to forgive and the right not to forgive”, published in the magazine Theologicalin 2015. But, in its 2024 version, forgiveness has become more of a personal development tool.
There were already the classics, the Bible, therefore, and the works of 20th century philosophers.e century, such The Imprescriptible. Forgive ? In honor and dignity (collection of two texts from 1971 and 1948; Seuil, 1986), by Vladimir Jankélévitch, or Forgive. The unforgivable and the unforgivable (1997 seminar; Galilée, 2012), by Jacques Derrida. From now on, in the “forgiveness section” of a bookstore, we would also find the best-seller by the British Colin Tipping The Power of Radical Forgiveness. Five steps to free yourself from the past and embrace the joy of living (Guy Trédaniel-La Maisnie, 2018), The Gift of Forgiveness. A Toltec gift from Don Miguel Ruiz, by Olivier Clerc (Guy Trédaniel-La Maisnie, 2020), or Give yourself the gift of forgiveness, by Pierre Pradervand (Jouvence, 2020)…
“Here, forgiveness is not a sacrifice, but a process of acceptance and self-love”can we read in My notebook. Free yourself through forgivenessby Roxana Prenveille (Mosaique-Santé, 2022), who promises to make us “discover the benefits of forgiveness in terms of well-being and fulfillment”. “The person who offended you is then no longer your executioner, but your benefactor. You are no longer a victim, but a beneficiary”we learn in The Power of Radical Forgiveness. In addition to guaranteeing the salvation of our soul and moral greatness, it ensures our well-being. Forgiving would reduce our stress level and our risk of cardiovascular and mental illnesses, we are now told.
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