Recalling the passage of how ‘the seeds’ grow depending upon the nature of ‘the soil’ in which they happen to land: today our soil is the sort where ‘the seeds’ grow quickly when they first land, but then ‘hit the rocks’ as they recognize the sad space between the seeming and the being in the higher places in the church. Where there should be more integrity, they find less.

The only way forward is to allow the most senior, stable priest within an hour’s drive of a population center to be a full diocesan bishop — whether unmarried or whether his wife has neglected to die before his retirement.

Repentance by the believer does restore fellowship but not necessarily undo the consequences of that action. I Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9 teach that those who are called to lead the flock must be held to a standard of righteousness both inside and outside the walls of the church.

I am also of the belief that the attributes attributed to leaders in these passages also apply to the laity. We are to be a “unique people” serving others (1 Peter 4:10) not tied to the things of this world (Matthew 6:24).

So, when all is said and done, the point is that these issues are all related, so what to do, concretely?

For now, we can use this as a place to gather, I suppose.

God Bless You! I am a survivor of clergy sexual abuse who struggles to maintain my Orthodox Faith due more to the Church’s response to the report than the actions of a sinful man. May your endeavor be blessed over and over again!

Unfortunately, I believe many of us know the answers to your questions – for me to even sign this with my first name is a huge step because I have experienced where the blame falls within Orthodoxy… It is the easy road to keep silent but it is a killer silence.

(Note: I am not suggesting all victims “go public” but that all victims seek healing in some way. Going public can be a very difficult road.)

Clergy sexual abuse is soul murder and the Church should do all it can to both irradicate the problem and to help the victims. Why that responsibility is not plain as day is beyond me and obviously yourself… But there is indeed a grave problem in our Church; I have experienced it surprisingly, first hand, from my very own Bishop’s defense of my abuser AFTER the matter was reported, investigated, and the priest was defrocked for his sins by another bishop. Anything anyone can do to prevent this from happening to anyone else is a very blessed gift!

Dear Derek,

Perhaps Fr. Basil may wish to focus on the how to coordinate responses between jurisdictions ( a common problem within Orthoxy in America – “Deposed by one jurisdiction? – Just join another!”) or perhaps in educating clergy how to handle reports of abuse or perhaps, though it may be a miracle too good to see come true, how to counsel victims and help them feel the embrace of God’s Church again?! I obviously cannot speak for Fr. Basil, but I am once again learning to speak for myself: There are not enough websites in the world to educate people on this subject, assure that others are not hurt, communicate a Christian attitude towards victims, or help clergy know how to handle reports or counseling on the matters.

If you know from experience that certain bishops have not handled these cases as they should, you might name them. It would provide a much more concrete reason for the launch of this website.

Simply browse through the archives of http://www.pokrov.org and you will find dozens of well-documented cases of clergy sexual misconduct. In the vast majority of cases things were handled inappropriately with the result in many cases that wounded souls were ignored and children and vulnerable adults were needlessly put at continued risk.

Moreover, estimates from many say that for every one report that is made public, many others result in the victims suffering in silence with their story never being made public. The Pokrov folks have many drawers full of notes on reports made through the years.

The unethical way many Bishops handle abuse must stop.

keep up the good work! This is long overdue.