"Priest: Here’s Why Bishops Cover Up Abuse"

The Orthodox Church as a whole has typically dealt with such matters within its rank, in a prudent and timely manner. Orthodox laymen and clergy alike have deemed sexual misconduct, especially involving clergy, and in particular, perpetrated against an innocent minor, as dangerous leaven and have determined, time after time, not to follow the path of the Roman Catholic church in sweeping such conduct under the rug or simply transferring the perpetrators. There is the propensity of some, however, to prioritize the protection of the office of the priesthood, the image of the local church or jurisdictions, while being indifferent to the victims. In doing this, they adhere to a "well the priest can be corrupt but the institution still authentic" mantra, while failing to act righteously or lawfully in dealing with a criminal priest. 

Rod Dreher, the Senior Editor of the American Conservative, in his article, "Priest: Here’s Why Bishops Cover Up Abuse", speaks to this issue: 

"It is true that the validity of the sacraments do not depend on the worth of the priest through whose hands they are consecrated — this is true in the Orthodox Church as well — but this truth can easily be perverted into indifferentism toward the subjective character of the Christian life, and conversion. Many Catholics I know have had to compartmentalize their spiritual lives to deal with this scandal and other related scandals among the clergy, repeating to themselves the dogmatic truth (and I believe it is true, just so you understand me clearly) that however faithless, cowardly, and corrupt the priest may be, the Eucharist really is the Body of Christ. God bless them for that; I did that for a couple of years, but couldn’t keep it up. The thing is, though, when bishops and priests treat the Eucharist and the laity with such contempt, people may cease to believe in the authority of those priests when they teach that this is what the Eucharist is, and what the sacraments are. It begins to look like a sham."