Tracking Greek Orthodox Priests Who Engage in Sexual Misconduct

A recent article from the The Greek Press  listed names of priests who have engaged in sexual miscondut. Inquirers don’t need to look to an Athens tabloid for information about priests from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America who engage in sexual misconduct.  Pokrov, an American website for survivors of abuse in the Orthodox churches, in most cases has more complete information on the priests who appeared in the article, as well as additional names. Some Greek Orthodox priests they have tracked:

Stanley Adamakis Gabriel Barrow Anthimos Drakonakis James Gavrilos Nicholas Graff Angelo Kasemeotes Nicholas Katinas John Katsoulis Emmanuel Koveos

John Liadis Anthony Moschonas Andreas Papadimitropoulos (This priest is not in the American archdiocese) Michael Pappas Michael Rymer John Theodore Pangratios Vrionis

Ex-monk pleads not guilty in sexual assault case

Author: Zeke MacCormackDate Published: 7/20/2008

Publication: San Antonio Express-News (San Antonio TX)

JOHNSON CITY — Back in the courtroom where he was sentenced to a 10-year prison term in 1999 for molesting a boy at the now-defunct Christ of the Hills Monastery, Jonathan Hitt pleaded not guilty Friday to sexually assaulting another novice monk there in 1993.

It was the first court appearance by Hitt, 47, on the charge filed two years ago during an investigation that saw authorities raid the monastery outside Blanco and arrest four other monks.

Abuse Survivor Encourages Silent Victims to Come Forward and Get Help

Letter to the Editor of Orthodox Reform regarding the Katinas Case. 

July 7, 2008

To Everyone Who is Concerned about Clergy Sexual Abuse,

I am a survivor of clergy abuse and was molested by Nicholas Katinas when I was a teenager. I am the person referred to as ‘DZ’ in the legal documents and news that has come out in the Katinas clergy abuse case. I was molested by Katinas when I was a teenager at the Assumption Church in Olympia Fields, IL in the early 1970s.

I now know that Katinas abused many other innocent minors. Some are still silent. Others have bravely come forward and joined the civil lawsuit against Katinas and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOAA) hierarchy, including the Holy Trinity Church of Dallas and the Metropolis of Denver.

I’m writing this letter to encourage everyone who is a survivor of clergy abuse to reach out and get help. For me, this meant starting therapy and seeing a counselor. For almost 30 years, I kept silent and blamed myself for the abuse. I felt incredible shame that affected important parts of my life — my relationship with my family and my wife.

It took many years of intense counseling for me to see that I was a victim. Clergy abuse is the biggest betrayal possible because of the priest’s association with the church and God. Katinas’ role as a Greek Orthodox priest, whom I was taught to respect and obey, prevented me from seeing him as an abuser.

The second reason I’m writing this letter is to encourage you silent victims, who were molested by Katinas, to come forward. This is a critical time in the history of the GOAA for them to publicly acknowledge their past mistakes.

Greek Press reveals names of GOA priests accused of sexual misconduct

The following article appeared in the June issues of the “Greek Press” on page 2. It is a available online at greekpressonline.com. It lists several GOA priests who allegedly have been credibly accused of sexual misconduct; many with sexual abuse of minors. Several of those accused continue to serve in the priesthood. With the exception of Nicholas Katinas, to our knowledge in none of the following cases has the GOA followed its sexual misconduct policy, which includes public disclosure: “…the disciplining of a Clergyman for Sexual Misconduct should be disclosed to the parish of the Clergyman and to the Church community in general” (see Statement of Policy Regarding Sexual Misconduct By Clergy, Section II – Prevention/Disclosure)

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