New Orthodox bishop elected; SNAP is appalled at his selection
Yesterday the Synod of Bishops of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) elected Archimandrite Gerasim Eliel as the new bishop of Fort Worth, Texas. Bishop-elect Eliel will work as an auxiliary to Archbishop Alexander Golitzen in the OCA's Diocese of the South (DOS). We believe that the OCA has made an extremely poor choice in elevating the Archimandrite to this position.
Archimandrite Eliel had been the overwhelming favorite to fill the then-vacant see of the DOS in 2015. SNAP registered its disapproval at the time. We felt that the Synod of Bishops was not paying sufficient attention to the Archimandrite's long and close connection to two notorious Orthodox perpetrators, Abbot Herman Podmoshensky and Metropolitan Pangratios Vrionis. The OCA Bishops decided not to elect Archimandrite Eliel to lead the DOS that year, although it did appoint him as administrator of the Diocese, much to our disappointment.
Six years later we still believe that the OCA Synod is wrong to further raise a man who has yet to speak out against the two men who he worked closely with and who caused so much damage to the lives of Orthodox boys and young men.
As we said in 2015, if the OCA is truly serious about changing the way abuse is handled in their Church, Archimandrite Eliel seems like precisely the wrong person for the job.
CONTACT: Melanie Jula Sakoda, SNAP Survivor Support Coordinator (925-708-6175, [email protected]), Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager (267-261-0578, [email protected]), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
Showing 5 comments
The attempt at taint in this article is 180° wrong!