Laity Speaks out against Alleged Clergy Sex Abuse, Orthodox Reform [United States], June 4, 2007

Laity Speaks out against Alleged Clergy Sex Abuse

Orthodox Reform [United States]
June 4, 2007

http://orthodoxreform.org/cases/fr-nicholas-katinas/laity-speak-out/

Several leading Greek Orthodox laity speak out on the issue of clergy sex abuse:

George Behrakis, a member of the Archdiocesan Council's Executive Committee and Chairman of the Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund – a not-for-profit religious corporation which supports the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America's ministries and programs – openly questioned why Father Katinas has not already been removed from the ranks of the clergy, citing Archbishop Demetrios of America and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople as the responsible decision makers.

Behrakis discussed the risk to the Leadership 100 Endowment fund:

"Parents are concerned for their children," Mr. Behrakis stressed, adding that Leadership 100's endowment fund, with approximately $58 million in assets, is safe from legal claims against the Archdiocese by Father Katinas' alleged victims.

"Leadership 100's funds are safe, and no one can touch them. I have researched the matter with accountants and attorneys, because the victims will come after everyone. Just look at what happened in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. They've spent around $100 million (in legal fees)," he said.

This recent National Herald article gives a background to the issue:

Leading lay members of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese said they feel "embarrassed" by clergy sex abuse cases, and are calling for the immediate defrocking of Rev. Nicholas Katinas, former longtime pastor of Holy Trinity parish in Dallas (now retired and suspended), who has been accused of child molestation, as confirmed by the Archdiocese through an official statement this past February, and an announcement by the Archdiocese Assistant Chancellor Rev. Michael Kontogiorgis.

Mr. Behrakis continued his comments:

Mr. Behrakis, a resident of Lowell, stated that he has been following the National Herald's articles on the matter very closely, and called the Katinas case "a scar on our Church."

He went onto say that a special committee ought to be formed to deal with clergy sex abuse of minors and other matters which threaten to bring millions of dollars in damages upon the Archdiocese and its churches.

"We have to form a committee and get serious about these matters because they're not purely ecclesiastical. They involve society at-large, and are investigated by the authorities," he said. "Society is different today, and it's a big mistake to believe that we can pass this by and act like nothing happened. We have to be careful."

Asked whether Father Katinas should have been removed from the priesthood, Mr. Behrakis said, "I'm surprised he hasn't been defrocked yet. We have to move swiftly on such things because delays do us harm. I'm speaking as a lay member of the Church, keeping in mind the thoughts and feelings of other laypersons who share the same outlook. But this isn't my department. The decision belongs to the Archbishop and Patriarch, not me."

Lewis Patsavos, professor of Canon Law had this to say:

Lewis Patsavos, professor of Canon Law at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, said that, if the accusations against Father Katinas are proven, the Church canons require that he be defrocked.

"This was a shock because I was not aware of his (Father Katinas') past, and naturally, I was saddened because it is not only he that is suffering, but his entire family. My thoughts go out to the victims as well, of course," Dr. Patsavos said.

Looking at things through the lens of Canon Law, Dr. Patsavos said, "There are views from the Church Fathers and Canon Law scholars that say the determination should be based on the evidence provided and whether the charges made can be proven. One view states that a priest who is found guilty of such charges must be defrocked. Others prescribe another penalty in the event that not all the charges can be clearly proven. Permanent suspension, which can be imposed with conditions – such as forbidding the accused to wear priestly vestments, so as not to appear as a clergyman, and revoking all his privileges. In the event that he does not adhere to this decision, then he is to be removed from the priesthood."

Patristics Professor George Bebis added his comments:

George Bebis, professor emeritus of Patristics at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, said he felt very dismayed by situation: "This is a sad story, and I am very sorry for both the priest and the victims; those young children," he said.

When asked if Father Katinas should be referred to a spiritual court for possible removal from the priesthood, as was the case in similar instances (e.g., the case involving Emmanuel Koveos), Dr. Bebis said, "I leave this matter to Archbishop Demetrios and the Synod. I just hope Fr. Katinas repents and is healed."

Arthur Anton of the Archdiocesan Council gave his opinion:

Arthur Anton of Boston, a member of the Archdiocesan Council and former chairman of Leadership 100, said the Katinas case has embarrassed the Church.

"I don't know the man, but I have read everything that's been written, so far, and I think that what happened with Father Katinas is an embarrassment," Mr. Anton said.

In response to questions concerning the pending lawsuit and the likelihood that Father Katinas' alleged victims will receive compensation, he said he hopes settlements can be reached out of court.

"What can you say? Sometimes, it's best for there to be an out-of-court settlement, instead of paying millions in legal expenses," Mr. Anton said.

George Vouvoulios, also a member of the Archdiocesan Council, said he was stunned by the news:

"This was a big shock. I've known Father Katinas ever since he was at the Theological School, and I always thought that he was a good priest and a good man. Honestly, I don't know what to believe any longer. I feel sorry for his family; for those who have suffered (the victims); for him personally; the Church; and everyone else connected to this. I don't know what should be done about it," he said.

Asked whether Father Katinas should be defrocked, Mr. Vouvoulios said, "I'm not familiar with the particulars of Canon Law, and I don't want to say anything that might cause pain to his family. Just the other day, I saw his son (Rev. James Katinas) in Kansas City, but if these charges are proven to be true, the Church must take the necessary steps."

John Katsaros of the Federation of Hellenic American Societies in New England said:

Speaking from Walpole, John Katsaros, 2nd vice president of the Federation of Hellenic American Societies in New England, said the Archdiocese must resolve the matter quickly.

"The Archdiocese must clear up these matters, and when they see minor infractions, they should take immediate action and not allow things to develop and reach the point where we have to spend millions," he said.

"It's a shame for someone's grandmother to spend her dollar on a candle, and for the Archdiocese to take the stewardship payments it receives from every community – as you know, every parish pays $30-40 thousand, which they gather from candles and contributions – and spend it on lawyers and compensation for children sexually abused by priests," he added.

In response to whether Father Katinas should be defrocked, Mr. Katsaros' replied unequivocally, "Without question. He should have been defrocked already."

Gregory Tsigas of New York expressed anger about Father Katinas' alleged actions:

"I want to condemn what Father Katinas did from the depths of my soul. I want to ask something that will give us all the answers we need. Would he want the things he did to those innocent children at his parish to be done to his children by someone? What Katinas did is despicable," he said.

"The Church is not operating as it should, and it is beginning to resemble a train that is starting to derail," he added.

When asked to speculate on why the Archbishop has not yet sent Fr. Katinas before a spiritual court to be defrocked, Mr. Tsigas was critical of the Archbishop.

"I don't know. Maybe there's a personal friendship at stake, or maybe the Archbishop is under pressure from elsewhere. But I think that the Archbishop is exercising his duties very improperly. As good as he might appear, and regardless of what people say, I don't think that he's fulfilling the duties of his position adequately," he said.

"Since none of the victims' fathers came forth to break Katinas' legs and leave him limping for the rest of his life, I guess he deserves the vacation he's on in Rhodes. Good for him. How is it possible for our community to be humiliated by a handful of priests? I'd like to note, once again, that bishops should be married, and be elected with our blessings," he added.

Panagiotis Agourides of Silver Spring, Maryland said:

"… Father Katinas should have been defrocked by now, and expects that the Archdiocese will end up paying substantial sums to settle lawsuits, calling for greater scrutiny of candidates for the priesthood in the future.

"I think he should have been defrocked for what he did. I foresee the Archdiocese spending a lot of money on matters like this. Future clergymen must undergo a thorough background check, and if something suspicious is discovered, they should be rejected before they enter the priesthood," Dr. Agourides said.

Demetrios Matheos of Lowell, recording secretary of the Federation, said:

"…priests who commit acts of sexual misconduct with minors decimate the sanctity of the Church, and called for defrocking Father Katinas immediately.

"It is sad that such a person, who had made his way into the hearts and souls of all the people who met him, reached the point of abusing young children – especially since he was a priest, or as you say a steward of God's sacraments," he said.

"We have lost every sense of what is sacred and holy because of people like him. The people who support the parishes see this as a great scandal. Since the Archdiocese itself admits that Father Katinas did everything he is accused of, they have to defrock him immediately," he said.

"Many well known members of the Greek American community who are following this matter are asking themselves about the direction we are headed. The Church has to be careful about who it ordains, and who is admitted into the Theological School. If it were not for the National Herald informing us that the Archdiocese has paid $10 million in damages from previous child molestation charges against its priests up until now, no one would know anything about what was going on in the Church," Mr. Matheos said, adding that the Patriarch should intercede.

"The Patriarch should not delay any longer. Katinas should be defrocked immediately. These are serious matters. The Greek American community is waiting for the Patriarch to take a position on this matter," he said.

John Zaralides spoke about his fear the situation could lead to church closings:

John Zaralides of Lowell, a member of the Boston Metropolis Council and former parish council president of the Transfiguration Church in Lowell, said he hoped the Archdiocese could avoid closing churches down.

"I'm very disheartened, because we were mocking the Roman Catholics five years ago, and now I see that we're going to start selling our church to pay for damages from sexual molestation cases like Katinas. Here in the Lowell area, 15-20 Catholic churches closed down. I hope that the Archbishop does something without delay. Katinas has to be defrocked at once," he said.

"My friends and I have discussions. We read the National Herald, and say that the Orthodox are exemplary. But now look at where we're headed," Mr. Zaralides added.

Demetris Bitsikas of Boston said:

Demetris Bitsikas of Boston shared Mr. Behrakis' view that the Archdiocese needs to develop a centralized manner to deal with such issues.

"The Archdiocese has to form a center to handle crises like this one, because the matter is serious. All these years, the Catholic Church would not admit that there were child molesters among their clergy, and look what happened. If all this is true, then the Archdiocese has to remove Katinas from the priesthood."

Gregory Spanos of Jacksonville, Florida said:

"I'm sorry about what's happening. Wasn't he not ashamed to go and molest young children? And now the Church has to come up with the money to pay for these lawsuits," he said. "Where are they going to find it?"

Michael Melexenis of Warren, Ohio said:

"… defrocking is the only practical way to stop scandalizing the community.

"These sorts of priests have to be defrocked. There's no other choice. Everyone I've spoken to in our city says the same thing. This has caused a scandal among the people, and many are saying, 'Just think. You go to Church and kiss the priest's hand with reverence, and he ends up being a homosexual," he said.

Thanos Koukopoulos of Enfield, Connecticut agreed that defrocking was necessary:

"If Father Katinas has done these things, he has to be defrocked. The best punishment is for him to no longer be a priest in the Church," he said.