TX- SNAP urges Orthodox bishops to act together to protect kids

For immediate release: Monday, September 15, 2014

Statement by Melanie Jula Sakoda of Moraga,CA, Orthodox Christian Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (925-708-6175, [email protected]om)

The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States will hold its fifth annual meeting in Dallas, Texas, from September  15^th through the 18^th. The meeting will begin with a Pan-Orthodox Doxology at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Monday night.

Members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, believe that the meeting in Dallas presents the perfect opportunity for the hierarchs to commit to the protection of Orthodox youth. Melanie Jula Sakoda, SNAP Orthodox Director reminds the hierarchs, “Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral was for many years led by Father Nicholas Katinas, a notorious abuser of boys. What a fitting venue to address what you as a group can do to insure the safety of Orthodox kids!”

The victims’ group urges the assembly, and each of its members, to commit to 3 simple steps this week to protect children:

1.     Pledge to report each and every allegation of criminal conduct immediately to the authorities, whether or not required by law;

2.       Share information among yourselves, so that predators are unable to move easily from one Orthodox community to another;

3.       Publish the names, locations, and case histories of each and every predator, so that the Faithful can be made aware of these dangerous people, and can help insure the safety of Orthodox youth.

The Assembly includes all active, canonical Orthodox bishops in the country, representing the following archdioceses and dioceses:  Albanian, American Carpatho-Russian, Antiochian, Bulgarian, Georgian, Greek, Orthodox Church in America, Romanian, Russian, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Serbian, and Ukrainian. Among the reasons for the establishment of this group was to address the pastoral needs of Orthodox faithful. 

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, as well as those abused in other institutions, such as the Boy Scouts and the military. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org  

Contact - David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, d[email protected]), Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 cell, [email protected])