Rape and the Holy Man Part Three -All are Punished!

Since the priests and the bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR) previously refused to obey the biblical example of removing an unrepentant sinner from their midst, or even follow their own rules, Regarding Sexual Misconduct by Clergy.docx, perhaps we will allow Shakespeare to pronounce the judgement of God:

"And I for winking at your discords too

Have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished."

Six years ago, JTO posted the article Rape and the Holy Man, exposing through documentation the alleged sexual misconduct of Father Matthew Williams and the sin of the ROCOR church clergy who hid, squelched, and otherwise silenced the topic from public discourse. In the intervening years, Metropolitan Hilarion even publicly awarded the accused priest for his "long years of faithful service."

This week, after another alleged victim's frantic appeal to Moscow to intervene, Father Matthew Williams was reportedly suspended. New allegations have come to light. One accusation of sexual abuse at the hands of Father Matthew has reportedly come from his own daughter, now a married adult. Father Williams' name has been removed from the parish website and an interim priest has been installed. Father Matthew Williams is reportedly being cloistered at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY.

JTO has received numerous emails and blog comments concerning recent and past events, and none of the correspondence removes Father Matthew's wife from culpability. In fact, there are renewed accusations that she has enabled her husband to continue his "ministry" unabated. These accusations extend back 10 years or more when the mother of the subject of Rape and the Holy Man sent a scathing letter to Matthew and Elizabeth Williams chiding them for their self-preservation and spiritual hypocrisy.

"[I] thought you were different[.] [I] thought you were the makings of one with a beautiful wife at your side..an officer of the orthodox church. [W]hat about you.? You have confirmed in your own God children that God doesn[']t matter in the face of temptation. I would like an explanation from your wife and from you.  You can ignore me, but that [won't] make the reality disappear that you have done this to us."

All are punished! Top to bottom and bottom to top, numerous clergy need to be reproved, suspended, defrocked. Based on the investigation as shown in Rape and the Holy Man, these are the men/clergy who knew of the specific accusations, who were part of the failure to do nothing, who attempted to threaten and cajole people (including this JTO Editor) to silence and now are fully culpable for the crimes and sins of their priest perpetrated on women and children. ROCOR! Antioch! OCA! Censure these men:

Metropolitan Hilarion

Father John Oliver
Brother-in-law of Matthew Williams

Father Christopher Stanton
Brother-in-law of Matthew Williams

Archpriest Andrei Sommer

                                                                         

Father Mark Rowe

Father Anastasy P. Yatrelis

                                                                                                       

Oh, men of holy orders! Will you, now that your backs are against the wall and the hidden has come to light, ask these previously recommended questions of the accused cloistered priest who, according to you, has served "long and faithfully": 

  The list might start out with these 15, asked in a face-to-face meeting with Father Williams:

1. Did you have any type of inappropriate sexual contact with [name withheld]? 
2. Why do you think the Mother is insistent that her daughter has admitted to her and to her siblings that you had inappropriate sexual contact?
3. What was your relationship with the girl?
4. Did she stay in your home from time to time?
5. Was she staying in your home when the mother, Carole Stephens, alleges that the inappropriate sexual contact occurred?
6. When and how did you first hear of the allegation toward you? 
7. Were you aware of this allegation prior to being ordained a priest in ROCOR and did you make the ordaining entities aware of it? If not, why not?
8. Since hearing of the allegation toward you, have you and/or your wife had contact either personally or by phone or letter with (daughter's name withheld]? If so, what was the purpose and content of that or those correspondences and how many have there been?
9. Carole Stephens has claimed that you and your wife had a lengthy, two-hour, phone conversation with her and that she went "round and round" with both of you. Did this phone conversation occur? If so, what was the purpose and content of the call? Did you admit to the mother that you were guilty of raping her daughter or acting in a sexually inappropriate manner and did you ask for her forgiveness as she has asserted?
10. Have you or your wife at any time offered to give money or financial assistance to Carole Stephens? 
11. Did Father John Oliver attempt to set up a meeting with you and Carole Stephens? If so, what did you think was the nature of the meeting? Did you agree to the meeting?
12. Are you willing to meet with us, Carole Stephens and several of her other children who claim that [daughter's name withheld] confessed to them that you were sexually inappropriate with her?
13. Would you have any objections to us contacting [Daughter] to corroborate your answers?
14. Have you read Carole Stephen's account of the event and her public e-mails she has sent out over the last few years? If so, is her account accurate? If not, what specifically is not accurate?
15. Have you been truthful in your answers regarding this matter to us and others?

...and don't forget to ask:  "What did Fr. Anastasy P. Yatrelis of ROCOR and Father John Oliver of Antioch know and when did they know it?" This same question might be asked of other clergy named in this event.

Orthodox Clergy! After you determine the truth of the past issues then the truth of the present issues may be addressed with less oppression on those who dared to threaten your established order. After this, a public repentance and admission of the utter failure on your behalf to shepherd the people of God, and an apology accompanied with action. People are falling away from the faith because of you. If you do not do this, you will diminish as a church both here and abroad. Repent now or forever lose your peace and God will not hold you guiltless.  All are punished.

Father Matthew Williams

Stumbling Blocks and Judgment

And he said to his disciples, “It is impossible for stumbling blocks not to come, but how terrible it will be for the one through whom they come!

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the lake rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to fall away.

Watch yourselves."

Hold these entities accountable. 

The time is long past trusting them to show righteousness in this matter. 

 

ROCOR

Orthodox Church in America (OCA)