CANADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release Friday, January 24, 2014
Statement by Melanie Jula Sakoda of Moraga, CA, Orthodox Director for SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 925-708-6175 cell, melanie.sakoda@gmail.com )
We are extremely grateful that Archbishop Seraphim Storheim has been found guilty of child sex abuse today. We also understand how difficult it is to accuse a respected man of the cloth, so we would like to thank the two men who courageously testified about what they had suffered. Without their bravery, this conviction would not have been possible and kids would still be at risk.
Now that Storheim has been found guilty in a court of law, we hope that the Orthodox Church in America will act swiftly to remove him from the ranks of clergy. We also hope that the Archdiocese of Canada will examine its records to insure that the archbishop did not use his position to shield other predators or to discipline whistle blowers.
Finally, we recognize that pedophiles usually have many victims. We beg anyone who suffered, saw, or suspected Storheim’s crimes to report to the professionals in law enforcement and help protect kids.
The archbishop worked in the following locations:
5/30/1980-1/31/1981: Supply priest in Valamo Monastery, Finland
1/1981-10/1982: Missionary priest, Alberta, Canada
10/1982-12/15/1983: Missionary priest, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America
12/15/1983-12/1/1984: Missionary priest in London, Ontario, Canada
12/1/1984-6/13/1987: Rector of Holy Trinity Sobor, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
6/13/1987-6/29/1990: Bishop of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
10/28/1990-present: Ruling hierarch of the Archdiocese of Canada with his seat in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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