CANADA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release Thursday, February 5, 2015
Statement by Melanie Jula Sakoda of Moraga, CA, Orthodox Christian Director for SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests ( 925-708-6175 cell, melanie.sakoda@gmail.com )
The appellate court today announced that it has denied the appeal of convicted child molester Archbishop Seraphim Storheim. Storheim was for many years the highest ranking Orthodox Church in America (OCA) official in Canada. We are extremely grateful for this decision
We hope that the two men who courageously testified about what they had suffered at Storheim’s hands will again feel vindicated. Without their bravery, the conviction would not have been possible and kids would still be at risk.
Now that Storheim has had his conviction affirmed, we hope that the OCA will finally act 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
10/28/1990-3/21/2014: Ruling hierarch of the Archdiocese of Canada with his seat in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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