Father Matthew Williams Has "Formerly Resigned"

Father Matthew Williams has reportedly been allowed to resign his rectorship. His family, from which he is reportedly estranged, has been ordered not to attend either of the parishes formerly under his charge.

Even though ROCOR has taken some action in the matter of the alleged sexual crimes and misconduct of one of their priests, they seemingly did so via the current mounting pressure from numerous accusers. One might wonder however, why ROCOR allowed this suspended priest to resign rather than make an ecclesiastical decision to remove him. So, it was his choice? Is ROCOR about to do the RC thing and heal him, restore him, and send him back into a parish as a changed man?

This begs the question: What must a priest do and how many victims must come forward for you to determine that a ROCOR shepherd is a wolf?

In recent communications from ROCOR representatives the word "healing' is often used in regard to the victims of the recent event. (Although they are still deathly silent on the former matter of the alleged rape of the Stephens girl) ROCOR might garner more trust from its parishioners if they were to have said, "Father Matthew Williams has been removed from his rectorship."  ROCOR will only garner the trust of the victims, many of whom hold them accountable for their decade-long lack of action, if they finally say, "Father Matthew Williams has been defrocked and is no longer a ROCOR priest."

The JTO blog is a small media outlet but within the last few weeks has had over 14,000 views from over 40 countries/territories. Other outlets are now picking up the story such as Orthodox Christian Sexual Abuse Facebook Page. The JTO series Rape and the Holy Man was also recently linked on Donald Trump's Truth Social.

ROCOR, the world is watching, but more importantly, our Father Yahweh and his son and our messiah, Yeshua, the head of the church- your head- is watching.

ROCOR, in case you have forgotten, in case you lean more heavily on your tradition or policy in these matters, please remember that the Holy Scripture is the foundation of every tenant of faith and Saint Paul said, "I am writing so that you know how a person must conduct themselves in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."

ROCOR, you don't have to guess! Once your "court" determines the validity of the accusations toward ANY clergy, Bishops included, this is the only template for action:

1 Cor. 5

"It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?

Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus,

hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with the old bread, leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and of truth.

I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.

I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.

But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral

or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. 

Expel the wicked man from among you.”