(PHOTO ABOVE: Bishop Nikolai blesses the congregation at St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church in Juneau earlier this summer. A senior national church official says Nikolai faces serious allegations. The nature of the accusations has not been revealed by church officials. Nikolai has denied that there is any investigation.)
Former missionary makes claim against chancellor of Alaska diocese.
By JAMES HALPIN
The Associated Press
The second-highest-ranking Russian Orthodox Church official in Alaska is under investigation for alleged sexual misconduct, national church leaders said Friday.
Chancellor of the Alaska Diocese Archimandrite Isidore is accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with a former missionary and educational leader in Kodiak, according to officials with the Orthodox Church in America’s headquarters in Syosset, N.Y.
Bishop Nikolai, who heads the Alaska Diocese, also is facing “extraordinarily serious” allegations, according to the senior church official in the country, although the nature of the accusations has not been revealed by church officials.
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