The director of Artave – Escola Profissional Artística do Vale do Ave, José Alexandre Reis, who has headed the institution since its foundation, that is, 44 years ago, was preventively suspended at last week by the management of the entity that owns the school, presided over by a Jesuit priest, who says he is evaluating “the institutional culture” experienced there, in a email sent to the educational community.
José Alexandre Reis was also provisionally removed from his position as pedagogical director of the Center for Musical Culture – Regional Music Conservatory, which serves the Ave region, in particular the municipalities of Santo Tirso and Vila Nova de Famalicão, where he has facilities. The two entities have long been linked, the latter being owned by a Jesuit institution. Artave is owned by an association, where this Jesuit institution has a leading role.
At the email to which PÚBLICO had access, signed by the president of the entity that owns Artave, Father António Valério (who also directs the Musical Culture Center) says that the two directors “were aware of a report that was sent to them by the coordinator of the Service of Protection and Care (SPC)” of the Society of Jesus, “in which facts are described that contradict the culture of care and protection that has been outlined for all Jesuit organizations”.
The email message states that there is “no evidence of behavior of a criminal nature or sexual abuse” and that the facts reported “in no way call into question the recognition of the artistic excellence of the two schools”.
Without specifying what is at stake, the Jesuit priest says that it was decided to open a disciplinary investigation into José Alexandre Reis – who did not want to speak to the PUBLIC – and that, so that this “occurs quickly and with the desired normality”, it was also decided to preventively suspend the two institutions.
Questioned by PÚBLICO, António Valério states, in a written response, that the report “collected complaints made over several months by students, parents and teachers who describe facts that contradict the culture of care and protection that is desired for an educational institution in the Companhia de Jesus”, refusing to identify the facts that are being investigated.
Regarding what motivated the application of the more serious precautionary measure, the Jesuit priest explains that it is based on the conviction that, as José Alexandre Reis is the target of the complaints, “his presence at the school is inconvenient for the investigation of these facts”.
António Valério also guarantees that the opening of the investigation and the suspension of the director of Artave was approved “by majority, with just one vote against”, in the direction of the entity that owns the school, in which the mayors of Vila Nova de Famalicão and Santo Tirso and the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation are represented.
The Jesuit priest who currently heads the Colégio das Caldinhas, also associated with Artave, “outrightly denies” any relationship between this disciplinary investigation and the fact that José Alexandre Reis was heard a few weeks ago, as a witness, in a criminal investigation that targets the former leader of the Jesuits, José Frazão, and two other priests of the same order.
This investigation concerns the alleged attempt to divert an amount of more than two million euros saved over several years and intended for the construction of new facilities for the Famalicão hub of the Musical Culture Center, which would be shared with Artave.
