New website highlights Orthodox Church’s clergy sex abuse issue with database of alleged incidents

Two Orthodox Christian women have launched a new website highlighting the issue of sexual misconduct and abuse within their denomination, offering resources for survivors and calling for accountability. The site, Prosopon Healing, was created after more than two years of effort by Katherine Archer and Hermina Nedelescu, who sought to address what they describe as a clergy sex abuse problem the Orthodox Church must reckon with. “The Orthodox Church has a clergy sex abuse problem it must reckon with,” said Nedelescu, emphasizing the need for transparency and action.

The website compiles third-party information from across the internet on documented and alleged cases of abuse by Orthodox clergy. It includes evidence-based research and supportive resources grounded in behavioral neuroscience, aiming to explain the dynamics of predator and victim behavior. The database draws heavily on the work of Melanie Sakoda and Cappy Larson, who maintained the now-retired Orthodox abuse website, Pokrov.org, for decades. “The reason Katherine and I did this in a year and a half and completed it in two years is because of Melanie and Cappy,” Nedelescu said, noting that many of the names in the database come from Sakoda’s work.

Prosopon Healing adds a layer of accountability by identifying the overseeing bishops for each alleged or charged abuser. This information is gathered from public media reports and other documents. One of those bishops, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, appears in the database as the overseeing bishop for 50 abuse incidents out of 266 compiled so far. Bartholomew, known as the “Green Patriarch” for his environmental advocacy, has been criticized for his silence on clergy sexual abuse.

Archer, who is pursuing a master’s degree in theology while training as a therapist, has personally experienced the consequences of the church’s silence. After suffering abuse, she has sought accountability and healing from parishioners and church leaders. She has been met with dismissive responses, including being told she is “going to hell” or is a “mentally ill sex addict.” Her experience underscores the challenges survivors face in seeking justice within the Orthodox community.

The database serves as a call to action, urging the Orthodox Church to confront the issue of clergy sexual abuse with the same urgency it has shown in addressing other moral and ethical concerns. The site’s creators hope their work will contribute to a broader conversation about accountability, transparency, and the protection of the vulnerable. Micah 6:8 reminds us that justice, mercy, and humble service are essential, and the Orthodox Church is called to embody these values in its response to abuse.

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