"They Must Be Plucked Out"

Upon the death of Metropolitan Hilarion, Bishop Nicholas was made Metropolitan Nicholas. The torch was passed. To ROCOR's great shame, the toxic fire of the torch of subterfuge and complicity is now burning down the reputation and standing of the ROCOR hierarchy as Metropolitan Nicholas continues in the same sinful vein of conduct. He allowed FMW to remain for six years. Has FMW been deposed? Has FMW been delivered to civil authorities?  Where is today's Saint Athanasius? When will the good Orthodox parishioners rise up and say, "no more", and shout, "They must be plucked out." 

A portion from Rape and the Holy Man (November 2018)

For the Metropolitan to now ignore, table, or brush-off this matter is a sin unto God and his holy church. The Metropolia has had 14 years to deal with this matter. It is time to heed the words of Saint Athanasius the Great, that troublemaker, that rabble-rouser, that excommunicated busybody, that stubborn man, that self-deceived tenacious soul, that confronter of both Bishop and Emperor, that Saint:

 “As we walk the unerring and life-bringing path, let us pluck out the eye that scandalizes us-not the physical eye, but the noetic one. For example, if a bishop or presbyter-who are the eyes of the Church-conduct themselves in an evil manner and scandalize the people, they must be plucked out. For it is more profitable to gather without them in a house of prayer, than to be cast together with them into the gehenna of fire together with Annas and Caiaphas.” — St. Athanasius the Great, PG 26:1257c

Jesus the Christ was more specific in regard to the ramifications of conducting oneself in an evil manner against a child, in particular, a child who is a believer, seeking the Kingdom of God:

"Whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name, welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to *sin (*Skandalizo- to cause to stumble or fall- to craftily entice or lead to ruin), it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea."

Both the perpetrator of this alleged crime against a 15-year-old girl, and the Bishop and fellow priests who have allowed him to remain, should they fail to repent, will share the same end. Jesus the Christ is specific as to the demonstrative nature of a such a repentance and the fateful end if one does not repent.

"Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."

Metropolitan Hilarion Awarding
Father Matthew Williams For
Long and Faithful Service

If the Metropolitan of ROCOR fails in this matter, then the world and faithful Orthodox Christians are presented with two shameful lessons. ONE: ROCOR is either inept or obtuse at investigating sexual abuse in its ranks and this carries the risk of earning a millstone of its own and the fire of hell. TWO: If one is a ROCOR clergy and commits a sexual crime, just make sure the victim doesn't talk and you will be in the clear. Later on, you may even get an award, personally presented by the Metropolitan. 

[NOTE: Today, 2025, the practice of shielding the clergy sexual predators continues under the pastorate of Metropolitan Nicholas and his Bishops and priests.]

Courage!

 

The DNA Of Methods And Tactics

JTO had this exchange in the comment section of Journey To orthodoxy: Does ROCOR "Fear God and Care What People Think?" Perhaps They Should:

Commenter: Sorry, this is just wrong on many levels. I will not participate in public bashing of our Metropolitan, it is just not in my DNA to do that.

JTO: Anon @ 12:09 am : Have you asked yourself what is in your Metropolitan's DNA that allowed a sexual predator to run rampant in his flock? What was in his DNA to know of the allegations of FMW's sexual abuse, rape, and molestation, as early as 2019, and fail to follow ROCOR's own PUBLIC Sexual Abuse Policy? Had your Metropolitan's DNA been pure, he would have removed FMW six years ago perhaps preventing the sexual abuse of his own children. They have DNA also and are forever marred by your Metropolitan's lack of a pastoral heart. So, what is in your DNA? Do you just have it in you to deem public exposing of a sinful shepherd, "bashing?" Since your DNA won't allow you to stand up for the weak, helpless and abused but rather defend the wolf in sheep's clothing, comments such as yours here just expose your own perverse heart.

Commenter: I never said I have not and will not continue to voice my concerns to our Metropolitan. It is just your method and Tactics that I will not support.

JTO: Anon. You didn't answer the questions. Nevertheless, are you aware of how many have "voiced their concerns" directly through private communication and documentation? Numerous priests and bishops have brushed off such communications and, like you, seem to have a propensity to attack and vilify the tactics and methods rather than deal with the real issue of Sexual Predators in their midst. I wonder if you have read the articles that list the many players who have vilified the mother of the raped 15-year-old girl. Over six years JTO has been communicating to the Metropolitan as did the mother of the rape victim many years before that. So, no. You do not get to enter late to this discourse and malign the open exposing of these priests and Bishops who are failing the body of Christ. The day of allowing them to give the silent treatment or the brush off to these very real issues is over. Please take the time to read all of the articles related to this issue. JTO and other public forums will continue to expose sin in the body of Christ until it is weeded out, sinful Metropolitans included. That should be in every Christian's DNA. You are certainly in the minority in advocating keeping all of this quiet and private. You are a good sheep. FMW raped his 15-year-old goddaughter, molested his own daughters, was improper with adult women in his church and your esteemed Metropolitan and others have known of his character and conduct for 10-plus years! Not only did they allow FMW to remain, but they awarded him for "long and faithful service." Please let JTO know when you deem it okay to call them out on their ungodly conduct. Did you see the movie Spotlight, about the Roman Catholic systemic sexual abuse case? Your attitude of squelching information is not new. You sincerely think you are supporting the church and its leaders (DNA) and honoring God, but unfortunately, you are an enabler.

Anyone has the prerogative to participate in open discourse or to choose not to participate, however maligning those who publicly expose the enabling of sexual abuse in the church as being "wrong on so many levels", should be rebuked. To be consistent with this detestable ideology one would need to demand that public forums such as Orthodox Christian Sexual Abuse | Facebook, RAINN | The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, and a myriad of others be removed from public view. Handle all things quietly, out of the public eye, you know, sort of like the Roman Catholics do it? A resounding, NO! It's just not in my DNA to do that.

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

ROCOR, Are You Next?

 Spotlight (film) - Wikipedia

Does ROCOR "Fear God and Care What People Think?" Perhaps They Should

JTO Commentary

To all Orthodox Parishioners:

Had ROCOR exhibited righteousness and, frankly, common-sense decency years ago, the current destruction of a church and so many families would not be happening before your eyes. Do you not see that ROCOR is also responsible before God for the soul of Father Matthew Williams, that they allowed him to fall to his destruction?

All Christians are fully justified to speak privately and publicly regarding ROCOR's actions both historically and currently. Do not let errant men, be they Bishop or King, step on your neck. Although Orthodox culture may frown on it, the scripture allows for the people to bring accusations against an Elder/Bishop:

1 Timothy 5:19-20 Do not accept an accusation against an elder EXCEPT on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who persist in sin, reprove IN FRONT OF EVERYONE, so that the rest will also be afraid of the consequences.

Firstly, find and use the in-house ROCOR method of contact and appeal. Use it. Go above your Metropolitan if needs be. ROCOR can dismiss JTO as inconsequential, however, if numerous Orthodox voices are raised and persistently, ROCOR may be compelled toward a righteous response.

Hear the words of YOUR Lord:

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

Secondly, if ROCOR will not give justice, shout your complaint from the rooftops to ALL who will hear.  Warn others to flee. For surely, the walls they have erected will crumble and all within will be overrun. "Let their days be few and another take their office."

You may be delighted and joyful to find that there is life in Christ and a future and a hope outside the fortress in which you dwell. 

Nathan Lee Lewis

JTO Editor

The Not So Sourcey Source Lashes Out

The posting of What Did Bishop Nicholas Know and When Did He Know It? has prompted a response from the "source". 

In an Instant Message (IM) to the JTO Editor, the source "close to the family" initially responded with, 

"Not cool."

He then followed up with,

"I understand now that any sense of journalistic integrity is a convenience for you, not any real commitment.

"Naming sources is low, and I expected better from you."

"And don't equivocate, you named your source."

"There was more information waiting for you, but you may now content yourself with the anger of the mentally ill. Good job."

JTO responded with an e-mail:

On Tue, Feb 11, 2025, 01:44 Nathan Lewis <journeytoorthodoxy@gmail.com> wrote:

[Name Omitted],

Equivocation would be devoting an entire website to the defense of Elizabeth Williams while omitting her culpability in the rape and cover-up of her 15-year-old goddaughter by her husband.

Equivocation would be refusing to comment when confronted with your 2019 email, which proves you and your family knew, as did Bishop Nicholas, at least six years ago, that your father-in-law was a danger to his family and to the church. This gives validity to much of the public criticism that is coming your way.

I said from the very beginning, 2019, that I reserved the right to share the content of our correspondence while trying not to disclose your identity/name. Your decision to step into the public discourse exposed your identity prior to the last post. Read the comment section. No equivocation is necessary.

What I shared on JTO was relevant information to squelch the disinformation you were putting out there, some regarding Carole Stephens and the veracity of her testimony. You told me you "knew for a fact" that Elizabeth did not try to silence Carole. That was false. And now you say you were going to tell me of another "crazy woman".  Elizabeth has suffered, but her decisions and your decisions have been part of the catalyst for the recent events and damage done to the body of Christ.  I was not fully convinced of that until I reviewed our 2019 correspondence.

You are not the only source of information and have not shared anything I did not already know.  Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but think of yourself with sober judgment, according to the measure of faith God has given you.

I recommend you step back from your public discourse and take care of your immediate family. Your public activity is not playing well to the masses. Perhaps your attorney would concur.

Nathan Lee Lewis

JTO Editor

His response was simply,

"I trusted your word. My mistake." 

NOTE: JTO Always informs those bringing information that JTO reserves the right to use the information in any way seen fit, while attempting to keep the source anonymous if possible. No promises for total anonymity are ever given. In the case of this "source", the 2019 emails will affirm that this "source" was apprised of such. JTO was and is faithful to its word.  In this case, the "source" identified himself to JTO and willingly entered into an on-going discourse, with an obvious intent to use the JTO forum to express his views on the current matter. JTO was willing until it became obvious that the "source" was using JTO to disseminate erroneous or incomplete information regarding the activities of the Williams family. JTO shut down that conduit.

What Did Bishop Nicholas Know and When Did He Know It?

In November 2018, JTO posted the article Rape and the Holy Man exposing the then Deacon Matthew Williams alleged rape of his 15-year-old goddaughter who was babysitting his young children.

After the article was posted, JTO received an email dated February 2019 from a confirmed source close to the Williams family. In the email the unnamed source confirmed, 

"Upon reading your article, I wasn't particularly shocked by any of the allegations, and they do put certain incidents and behaviors into context... I have taken this issue higher up, and an investigation is pending. I'm close to the family, and I've observed a number of troubling patterns and behaviors, which are frankly not your concern, and have been shared with Bishop Nicholas already..."

If this claim is true, Bishop Nicholas was not only apprised of the Rape and the Holy Man expose' but was informed by a person close to the family that they too had observed troubling issues and incidents presumably related to sexual abuse by Father Matthew Williams.

The takeaway here is that, according to the source, as early as 2019, a full six years prior to the eruption of the current chaos at Saint Tikhon, Bishop Nicholas knew. Family members, including Elizabeth Williams knew, and the source knew. 

Even so, the source implored JTO to follow the ROCOR process of communication with the Bishop or nothing would happen. JTO reminded the source of the numerous prior communications regarding the sexual abuse allegations of Father Matthew Willaims, that did go through the correct channels, even receiving a brush-off correspondence from the late Metropolitan Hilarion. The source claimed, "There was never a formal investigation opened into this case by ROCOR. The complaint was dismissed out of hand, despite ROCOR policy stating,

'In the case of any complaint that initially appears to be credible, or if the findings of the preliminary inquiry are inconclusive, the priest or deacon will be referred for clinical evaluation. The clergyman may also be temporarily removed from his ministry and may have other restrictions placed on him.' "

At the time in 2019 and up to this point, JTO honored the source's desire to remain anonymous and out of the public eye. JTO promised not to use his name, however, the source has recently initiated a high-profile involvement in the public discourse regarding current events and the removal of Father Williams from his parish, so the content of his 2019 correspondence with JTO is being shared here. The source previously indicated, "I'm engaged to FMW's eldest daughter, which should make clear why I'm involved in this. I want the truth to be out, because as it stands, my children aren't going to meet half of their grandparents."

His site, Timeline of misconduct reports in case of Archpriest Matthew Williams, offers a strong defense of Elizabeth Williams (Father Matthew Williams wife) and presents a timeline of her conduct in recent matters. What the site does not share is the fact that as early as 2019, the family knew of the serious character flaws of Father Williams and was appealing to Bishop Nicholas. The site also is silent on the 2008 allegations that Elizabeth Williams was personally involved in the attempt to silence Carole Stephens after the alleged rape of her daughter came to light. The site also does not address the allegations that Elizabeth Williams cajoled the Stephens daughter to not come forward about the event in their home.

Since the current allegations toward FMW have emerged, JTO has been in conversation with the source of 2019, in order to present a balanced view of the current events by posting his perspectives. In keeping with this, JTO recently asked the source to clarify the timeline he publicly presented and informed the source that his past 2019 emails had been archived and seemed to conflict with what he was publicly presenting. His response was to lawyer up, claiming there was a pending court case and their lawyer forbade them to say more. 

JTO told the source, "I am not certain your comment is sufficient. I am not asking about a court case, only for clarification on the timeline you currently publicly post on your website, and an email you wrote to me in 2019."

His response was, "Basically, no comment. I cannot add more to the situation."

JTO responded. "Okay. Do you intend to take down your website?"

His response was, "What's done is done, removals don't do anything. I am just repeating what was told to me by an attorney."

What did Bishop Nicholas know and when did he know it? He knew at least six years before the current sexual abuse revelations came to light that his priest, Father Matthew Williams, had a serious character flaw. He knew by prior testimony by prior victims and by the testimony of FMW's own family members. He knew enough to have removed FMW according to ROCOR's own Sexual Abuse Policy at least SIX YEARS AGO. He Knew. Why didn't he act? He knew. He knew enough. He knew...but so did numerous other clergy. They all knew. 

1 Timothy 5:19-20 Do not accept an accusation against an elder EXCEPT on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who persist in sin, reprove IN FRONT OF EVERYONE, so that the rest will also be afraid of the consequences.

See: Journey To orthodoxy: Rape and the Holy Man Part Three -All are Punished!

Rise Up People of God!

To Orthodox Hierarchy: "What Is Your Game?

By Carole Stephens

[minor edits by JTO]

Even Nathan is being attacked for trying to bring abuse within the church to light. I communicated with both SNAP and pokrov.org years ago to get support. I also went to attorneys, even a female attorney, who pointed out how church hierarchs do circle their wagons. 

In my personal investigation, speaking with a district attorney, I was told that there were six priests on their [rolls] facing prosecution for child abuse. I am a former missionary wife in Mexico and Central America, who had small children with me on the mission field. I remember such complaints from local girls being assaulted by catholic priests. That is why SNAP exists. With all of the child trafficking being allowed worldwide, with the U.S. being the biggest patron of such, how can you defend the position of anyone who would hurt a child? 

All of our children are at risk for being snatched and sold just for trying to live. "Amber Alert" was created in memory of a 10-year-old girl named Amber who was out riding her bike and was raped and killed, her body dumped in a lake. What are you EVEN defending? Children are coerced in schools and the perpetrators are fired and prosecuted. All school personnel have to be fingerprinted and investigated before entering teaching programs and before hire, yet some do still emerge. 

To my understanding, the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia was founded as a refuge for the persecuted underground church in atheist regimes. How can it now cover up [the abuse of] the most innocent over whom we are to be stewards? Our children are not our possessions. We are gifted with the stewardship over their welfare, and their souls. It would be better for a millstone to be hanged about our necks and we be cast into the depths of the sea than to permit that any harm be done to these little ones, as states the scripture: 

"Matthew 18:5-7 KJV. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." 

This is not a GAME. There is no END GAME! The church needs purification. Even the [Apostle] Paul was constantly warning the Church. 

Children need good stewards, good guidance and protection in churches, in schools, and in their homes. There are enough predators running loose to hurt our kids. Can the church not be a refuge? I lost my home and had to sleep in a car over this. My children have to question the validity of the church they were raised in. Looking through history, apostolic succession means nothing if the heart of the priest is corrupt. What is your game?

***

[JTO Editor's Note: Does this sound like the rantings of a "crazy woman?"]

Sibling of 2004 Alleged Rape Victim Speaks Out

Comment left on JTO:

"I’m related to the victim from 2004, and I can say for a fact that Elizabeth knew about it and actively tried to silence her. The turmoil and damage this caused Carol at the time were heartbreaking to witness. Yes, the victim chose not to take action then—that was her decision. But that doesn’t excuse Elizabeth’s role in covering it up and trying to silence Carol when she found out.

I do feel terrible for what Elizabeth’s children are going through now, but knowing what I do about her past behavior, it’s hard for me to feel sympathy for her. Maybe I need to let go of the resentment I still carry, but as children, we were taught to look up to and revere both her and Matthew. Ever since the truth about what he did came to light over a decade ago, I haven’t been able to think of them without feeling anger."

[JTO Note: This public support of Carole from another child is courageous and a long time coming. JTO would offer one correction. It is inaccurate that "the victim chose not to take action then". According to Carole, the day after the alleged rape, her daughter called and spoke with Father Anastasy P. Yatrelis within hours of the alleged rape, and the coercion of this 15-year-old rape victim by Orthodox clergy began.]