OCA Responds to SNAP re: Monk Seraphim Storheim

By Melanie Jula Sakoda
Pokrov
November 28, 2015

http://www.pokrov.org/oca-responds-to-snap-re-monk-seraphim-storheim/

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, received a response to their November 13th letter to the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA). SNAP had written to the Church officials asking them to make sure that the former head of the Archdiocese of Canada, Seraphim Storheim, was well supervised and  kept off church payrolls.

Storheim was convicted of sexually abusing an 11 year old boy and served time for that offense. He was subsequently defrocked by his Synod and reduced to the rank of lay monk. However, the former archbishop continues to reside at an OCA monastery in Canada.

Archpriest John Jillions, the OCA Chancellor, informed  SNAP that the new archbishop of Canada, Irenee Rochon, had developed a supervision plan for his predecessor. The chancellor also assured the victims’ group that the former archbishop would not visit any other parishes unless a supervision plan was in place.

With respect to SNAP’s request that the OCA not offer any type of employment to Storheim in the future, Jillions made no promises. He wrote that he was unaware of any plans to put the former archbishop back on a church payroll, but should such a request arise, it would be reviewed carefully by Rochon and the Synod.

The complete text of the email is linked above.