ORLANDO (FL)
WDBJ-TV, CBS-7 [Roanoke VA]
July 17, 2025
By Colby Johnson
A Roanoke priest has been accused in a Florida lawsuit of sexually abusing a boy in the early 2000s. Father George Zina is currently a priest at St. Elias Catholic Church Maronite Center in Roanoke.
This lawsuit was filed in Orange County, Florida, earlier this month by a John Doe against the Diocese of Orlando and two Orange County churches, Holy Family Catholic Church and Saint Jude Maronite Catholic Church.
The lawsuit is seeking $10 million in damages. Zina is not a defendant in the lawsuit. It accuses the Diocese and churches of negligence for failing to prevent the alleged sexual abuse.
“We believe that the Diocese and these churches were negligent. Meaning that they knew or should’ve known that Zina was unsafe and they failed to protect our client, who was a parishioner and a child,” said Jenny Rossman, trial attorney for Herman Law, which is representing the plaintiff in the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff’s family developed a relationship with Zina beginning in 2001 when the plaintiff was nine years old. The plaintiff became an altar server, and the lawsuit claims Zina began to groom him.
“Zina even went so far as to tell him, when he was a child, that God basically blessed Zina to be in a same-sex relationship with an altar server. You know he’s a kid, and this is somebody that his family trusted,” said Rossman. This claim is also stated in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims Zina sexually abused the plaintiff over the years until he was 15 in 2007.
“He’s an adult now, and he has suffered a lifetime of trauma as a result of the abuse when he was a kid. He has had substance abuse issues, he has had depression, anxiety, and it was something that he struggled with his whole life,” said Rossman. “This client is very motivated to protect others.”
The lawsuit claims Zina was placed on leave from 2009 to 2010 before being transferred to a Roman Catholic Church in Springfield, Massachusetts. He started at Saint Elias Catholic Church in Roanoke in 2022.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to WDBJ7 that its sex crimes detectives did conduct a criminal investigation into the allegations. It said it has submitted its investigation to the State Attorney’s Office, which is reviewing the case to determine if it will prosecute Zina.
The Eparchy of Saint Maron in Brooklyn, which oversees all Maronite Catholic Churches on the East Coast, including St. Elias, released the following statement on the situation.
In January of this year, Father George Zina informed the Eparchy that he received a phone call from a woman alleging that many years ago, while assigned in Orlando, Father Zina had inappropriately touched her son. The woman claimed that her son was a minor at that time.
A complaint was made to local law enforcement, who in turn contacted Father Zina as part of an investigation into the claim. Law enforcement thereafter contacted the Eparchy.
Father Zina and the Eparchy have cooperated fully with the investigation. To date, there has been no finding on the part of law enforcement as to the veracity of the claim.
Earlier this week, the Eparchy learned that a lawsuit was filed against the Diocese of Orlando that names Father Zina as an alleged perpetrator.
Father Zina immediately denied the claim and continues to strongly deny the claim. He has vowed to defend his good name and reputation.
The Eparchy has never received a complaint from the alleged victim.
The Eparchy has never received a complaint of this nature against Father Zina in his more than 38 years of priestly ministry.
In accordance with Eparchial policies and procedures, the Eparchial Review Board reviewed the matter. Given that the Eparchy has never received a complaint from the alleged victim, that the law enforcement investigation remains pending, and that no criminal charges have been filed against Father Zina, it was the opinion of the Review Board that no action was to be taken against Father Zina at this time.
Therefore, in accordance with the Eparchial Policy to Address Claims of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests and Deacons (Page 3, Paragraph 4), Father Zina remains in ministry.
Roanoke attorney Ray Ferris is representing Zina and the Saint Elias Parish. In a statement to WDBJ7 Thursday, he said the parish and Father Zina are aware of the accusations and are not making any further comments at this time.
WDBJ7 did reach out to the Diocese of Orlando and both churches named in the lawsuit for comment, as well as the 9th District State Attorney’s Office representing Orange County, Florida, but has not yet heard back.