Russian Orthodox Priest Sentenced to 14 Years for Sexual Abuse of Minors at Youth Camps

An Orthodox priest in Russia has been sentenced to 14 years in a high-security penal colony for what the court described as “especially cynical” violent sexual acts with minors, according to local reports published on Wednesday.

Local reports said the abuse took place at Orthodox youth camps in Russia and Greece between 2009 and 2013. The priest, Gleb Grozovsky, fled to Israel after police opened a criminal investigation into the abuse in 2013. He was extradited to Russia in 2016 to stand trial. The trial was held behind closed doors and lasted seven months.

Grozovsky maintains his innocence and says he will appeal the ruling. His defense lawyers say he is a victim of religious and political persecution. A website in English, Russian, Arabic and Hebrew that claims to belong to Grozovsky’s sister says the court limited the priest’s ability to know what he was charged with. The website has not been updated since last year.

Sex abuse is a common problem within religious institutions around the world, and the Orthodox Church has not been an exception. In 2013, an Orthodox bishop in Serbia was forced to resign after a video emerged of him having sex with underage boys. Allegations later emerged that he had organized frequent orgies with minors. In 2015, a priest from the Greek Orthodox Church in the United States was convicted of sexually assaulting a boy. Protecting children from such abuse is a matter of the vulnerable being kept safe (Psalm 82:3).

Reports note that the Orthodox Church has not experienced as many scandals as its Roman Catholic counterpart, which has been the frequent target of protests by activist groups advocating for victims of sexual assault.

Unlike Catholic priests, Orthodox priests are allowed to be married. They are not allowed to marry while serving as a priest, but most Orthodox priests marry before they are ordained and remain married throughout their religious service. Prohibitions exist, however, against remarriage if an Orthodox priest is widowed.

The Russian Orthodox Church has emerged as a powerful and politically linked institution since the fall of communism and the end of state-sanctioned atheism.

Source: Read the original report