Ex-parishioner’s suit accuses priest of attack

Date Published: 4/24/2008
Author: Stephanie Innes
Publication: Arizona Daily Star

In a lawsuit his lawyer calls “a total outrage,” the priest who led Tucson’s only Greek Orthodox church for three decades has been accused by one unidentified woman of sexual assault.

A former parishioner at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Midtown made the claim against the Rev. Anthony Moschonas. No criminal charges have been filed against Moschonas.

The parishioner, identified in the lawsuit as “Jane Doe,” said the alleged sexual contact occurred during a trip to Athens, Greece — a trip she says the priest gave her as a gift for her 18th birthday.

The lawsuit does not give a time frame for the alleged assault, nor does it give a current age for the woman. She filed her civil suit March 13 in Pima County Superior Court.

What a novel idea

Date Published: 4/24/2008
Author: Theodore Kalmoukos
Publication: The National Herald

As we went to press this week, we learned that a fifth person has alleged he was molested by then Rev. Nicholas Katinas as a boy. Court documents allege that the abuse took place when “John Doe V” served as an altar boy at Holy Trinity Church in Dallas, where the now defrocked former Greek Orthodox priest was pastor for almost 30 years.

The number of alleged victims just keeps growing. By inference, the amount of money the Church will need to settle these cases, either in or out of court, will also increase.

The news broke while Pope Benedict XVI was making his first official visit stateside. While he was here, the Pope dealt with issues like animal rights, abortion, “rediscovering the authentic image of creation,” and whether the Roman Catholic Church was out of step with modern realities in America.

Greek American is Alleged Fifth Victim of Katinas

Date Published: 4/24/2008
Author: Theodore Kalmoukos
Publication: The National Herald

BOSTON – A first generation Greek American is the fifth alleged pederasty victim of former Dallas-priest Nicholas Katinas. According to court documents with Case Number 0703807D, “Between the ages of 8 and 9, John Doe V served as an altar boy at Holy Trinity (Dallas). His service was supported by his parents, who were of Greek descent and who were long-time members at the church even prior to the assignment of Katinas. In approximately 1984, using his religious authority to gain access young Does V’s psyche and under the pretext of discussing girls, Katinas talked suggestively to the boy. Katinas groomed his victim with the ‘girl discussions,’ stating Doe V was ‘a good-looking boy and that he ‘must have all the girls chasing him.’ His talking was soon followed by [sexual act] on at least two occasions. These sex acts occurred when Doe V was approximately 13 or 14.” According to the courts documents “these incidents went on for some 7 years. [Sexual acts] occurred on Sundays at least 30 times in any given year. In 2007, after this lawsuit was filled, Doe V’s mother heard that Katinas was accused of abusing young males, she notified her son. Doe V blurted his response without thinking: “It wouldn’t surprise me.”

Church Properties: Potential risk from Katinas sexual abuse scandal

The Take Our Church Back! web site points out its believe in retaining church property within the control of the local community so parishes are not liable for abuse lawsuits against the Archdiocese or Metropolis stemming from their negligence:

Let us make sure that we remain ever-vigilant in protecting our properties. We must be protected from any potential risk such as the Katinas sexual abuse scandal and what is sure to be its disastrous aftermath. We should not be forced to pay for the Katinas defendants’ liability. Source

Off For Holy Week

To our Readers:

Barring any dramatic events during Holy Week, OrthodoxReform.org will not be posting articles or reader’s comments on a regular basis during the holy days. We will resume regular publication following Pascha.

In case you missed them, here are some recent articles published just yesterday:

• Dates Set for Katinas Jury Trial and Pre-Trial Mediation
• Fifth Greek American Joins in Child Molestation Suit Against Katinas
• The Pope and the Orthodox: Serious About Sexual Misconduct Reform?
• Are Orthodox Clergy Sexual Misconduct Investigations Handled Properly?

We wish everyone a blessed Holy Week, and a joyful celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection.

Dates Set for Katinas Jury Trial and Pre-Trial Mediation

According to an article today in The National Herald:

A court date has been set for Monday September 22, 2008. The jury trial will take place in Dallas, Texas, and is expected to be open to the public and members of the press. The judge has set a pre-trial meeting for Tuesday May 20, 2008 to inquire about the possibility of a settlement before the case is tried, however both sides have already begun taking depositions and preparing for the trial, in the event that a settlement is not reached on May 20th.

In such an event, Archbishop Demetrios himself will be called to give a sworn deposition. If the case does reach trial, sworn depositions become public record and the Archbishop may even be called to testify in court.

Although no set amount of monetary restitution is mentioned, in a similar case involving a Roman Catholic priest in Texas, the court awarded the victims $156 million.

Read the full article

Fifth Greek American Joins in Child Molestation Suit Against Katinas

Date Published: 4/18/2008

Author: Theodore Kalmoukos

Publication: The National Herald

BOSTON – A first generation Greek American has come forward as the latest victim to accuse defrocked Dallas priest Nicholas Katinas of allegedly molesting him when he was child.

According to court papers, this newest plaintiff joined the existing other four plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the Metropolis of Denver, and the Holy Trinity Church in Dallas, Texas. The lawsuit is also directed against Katinas personally.

As stated in the court document, filed under index number 0703807D, the latest victim, referred to as “John Doe V,” met Katinas between the age of 8 and 9, when he was an altar boy in the Holy Trinity Church. He was supported and encouraged to serve in the altar by his parents, who were of Greek origin and were longstanding members of the parish years before Katinas’ assignment there. The lawsuit states that at or about the year 1984, Katinas used his position as a clergyman to gain intimate access to the innermost thoughts of John Doe V, and during a discussion about the opposite sex, he spoke suggestively to the boy, saying that “he was a handsome boy,” and that “all the girls would be after him.” Shortly afterwards, the alleged victim states that Katinas began to molest him.

Are Orthodox Clergy Sexual Misconduct Investigations Handled Properly?

Are the OCA and GOAA officials in charge of investigating sexual misconduct qualified? Are they doing a good job? Below is a roundup of some press on this topic, in one case including troubling criminal charges that have recently surfaced.

Fr. Alexey Karlgut (OCA)

According to OCANews.org, Fr. Alexey Karlgut, the OCA’s investigator into allegations of abuse and misconduct, is not certified to handle such investigations:

One Metropolitan Council clergy member, who is clinically trained in handling allegations of abuse, said the OCA must send qualified teams to respond to such allegations as have been made in Alaska, to meet procedural norms. He stressed the need to respond promptly; since months had elapsed since the first allegations of misconduct had arisen in Alaska. The subsequent discussion confirmed that Fr. Alexey Karlgut, the OCA’s investigator into such allegations of abuse and misconduct, is not certified to handle such investigations. Source

Commenting on the this information on OCANews.org article The Rest of the Story, Cappy Larson from Pokrov.org says:

The Pope and the Orthodox: Serious About Sexual Misconduct Reform?

by Theophan Zarras

The media is widely reporting news of the Pope’s current visit to the United States and his comments on the sexual abuse crisis.

The pontiff called the scandal a cause of “deep shame”, and spoke of the “enormous pain” that communities have suffered from such “gravely immoral behaviour” by priests. Source

The pope went so far as to meet privately with several adults who were abused as children by Catholic priests.

These are good statements, and a great first step pastorally. But is it enough? SNAP, a victim’s support group, says deeds must follow words:

Nikolai to Leave Alaska

After a tumultuous many weeks of disturbing reports of abuse from Alaskan clergy, the OCA Synod of Bishops continues their flip-flops. Having demanded a leave of absence, they lifted it, and now they are demanding it again. Bishop Nikolai has agreed to leave, apparently being threatened with being defrocked as his only alternative:

The Synod of Bishops, meeting in Syosset today, persuaded Bishop Nikolai of Alaska to agree to a voluntary ‘Leave of Absence’. The decision follows an investigative tour of the Diocese, conducted last week, by Archbishop Nathaniel and Bishop Tikhon at the request of the Synod during its last meeting two weeks ago. Source

Read more