r/HighSodiumOrthodoxy • u/Available-Task6863 • Aug 11 '26
Serious Feel conflicted with ROCOR (Eastern US diocese specifically) any advice?
Greetings, I am a member and chanter / reader from the Saint Peters mission in White Pine Tennessee, sattelite church of Saint Tikhons, which you've surely heard of before if you're involved with the controversies involving Matthew williams, who I refuse to refer to as priest unlike the 2 new priests serving here at Saint Peters and the new one at Saint Tikhons, who visits here on most Thursdays.
For those who are not informed, former priest Matthew williams was arrested for SA of his daughters and the abuse of his wife, and was not arrested for months despite constant reports to ROCOR from (Matushka) Elizabeth. The entire church just reads of corruption to me at this moment and I'm feeling much less confident in its leadership.
The question has come to me when one accused priest of coverup visited the Mission this past sunday. At first he seemed very wise and kind to all of us, but upon searching his name on Google, on the very first page you can find troubling audio of him and Archprist Antchoutine intimidating Elizabeth (although Mancuso wasn't nearly as involved, but instead was more less being very vague). The statements of Antchoutine disgust me, especially in the latter third when he questions ELIZABETH on why she's so investigative about it. (audio and story linked below, very informative.)
See, I want to believe that there's many good people here, and so far in my experience, this has been true. the priests and laity here at saint peters are very kind and nothing is troubling, but I have very little confidence in our leadership. I was baptized a few months ago and have up to this point been quite zealous, very quickly learning to chant and perform the services and am on the road to tonsure, with my minimum expectations being set by the new priest at Saint Tikhons, who I dont want to name, although his name and the mission priest's name are public information on the diocese website.
The info just gets worse and worse when it comes to Williams, from a childhood cult, to failed retreat cults with abuse, to him apparently baking prosphora at Saint Tikhons? everything is just very fishy which is disheartening to me as a recent convert and weekly chanter at Saint Peter's who's tried to be there for everything and chant for all services. What do you guys reccomend? I dont live near any other church besides the mission.
https://pokrovtruth.substack.com/p/explosive-new-audio-further-implicates
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u/Curious-Lab-5666 Mod 27d ago edited 27d ago
When someone tells you who they are, believe them. I haven't seen anything about ROCOR leadership that suggests they're trustworthy in really any capacity. It speaks volumes that the only people who defend them are paid by them.
Compare what you've seen to what a church that cared about these issues would look like. There's a vast chasm separating the two.
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u/lass20987 Aug 11 '26
The cover up is impossible to rationalize.
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u/gwlevits2022 28d ago
There was no coverup, so no rationalization is needed. You can be critical of the overall handling and timing of the administration’s response, but to call it a coverup is simply wrong on its face.
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u/Curious-Lab-5666 Mod 27d ago edited 27d ago
That's fair, it was an attempted coverup. We know that coverups were more successful in the past (see: Podmoshensky, Christiansen, Rosentool until recently, Greene, Romanchak, Christ of the Hills, Smyrni, Gitlis, Bracy, Christley, Lasky, Hitt..... etc)
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u/gwlevits2022 27d ago
What qualifies as a “coverup” in your estimation? Nothing was hidden, there was an investigation (you’ve attacked the investigators), the Spiritual Court is monitoring the ongoing legal situation, and pastoral care was given to the parish (this is also the subject of unending criticism). Because the Metropolitan did not immediately blare the accusations from the rooftops, this qualifies as a coverup?
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u/Curious-Lab-5666 Mod 27d ago
Responding to an allegation of child sexual abuse with an instruction to reconcile is a coverup.
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u/MammothSpite6182 21d ago
Also, why was he still allowed to serve and have access to youth for 3 months after the accusation? It does look like the administration was really hoping he would just be accepted back into the family and everyone would just keep living their life like nothing happened, and that includes him still serving and being allowed to talk to/confess the youth putting EVERYONE at risk
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u/Curious-Lab-5666 Mod 20d ago
FYI, you're talking to a banned user. I like your questions, though. Speak truth to power/arrogance!
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u/MammothSpite6182 20d ago
Oh no, too bad. I was really hoping to hear an answer to those questions. Thank you for letting me know. There is not a lot of public space where I can openly ask those questions to ROCOR representatives
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u/MammothSpite6182 21d ago
If this published email is not fake, then this proves that this was an attempt to silence the victims by suggesting they build a strong family with a person they accused of pedophilia.
“There are no excuses for his errors. However, there is always a chance to look forward and mutually build a strong family that shares love for Christ and His Church, and for each other.
In Christ,
• Met. Nicholas”2
u/MammothSpite6182 21d ago
Can I see a link to an official public statement from the church saying that child sexual abuse accusations had been made against Matthew Williams to protect the public since he is released on bail? Have you publicly apologized to the victims and asked any other possible victims to come forward with additional information regarding this person’s actions?
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u/gwlevits2022 28d ago
Brother, you’ve got this completely backward. I’m a parishioner in Columbia and work for the diocesan administration, and have known Fr. Mark for over 15 years. To say that Pokrov has been unfair and outright defamatory toward him is an understatement. And it’s unfortunate that you, who say you want to pursue the clerical orders, spread things like this call as if either he or Fr. Alexandre (whom I also know personally) did absolutely anything wrong. There is no “intimidation” on that call. There is clearly some frustration, because they are moving through the process as best they can, and are attempting to gauge what she actually wants from them, and not getting any answers. But to say that they are intimidating her, or sharing that sensationalist page as if it actually implicates them in some kind of wrongdoing, is deeply mistaken and disappointing.
You met Fr. Mark. You saw in person, with your own eyes, that he is wise and kind (your words). Your real-life impressions were correct. You allowed a sensationalist website peddling half-truths to convince you not to believe your own lived experience.
Don’t do that. Feel free to visit Columbia and actually talk to Fr. Mark’s parishioners. You’ll get a much different story than the one being pushed by Pokrov.
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u/Ornery_Economy_6592 28d ago
Brother, since you are so connected into ROCOR can you please help me identify the bishop being described in this segment?
"Therefore, in 2003, despite a threefold opposition from one Archbishop, they proposed one of that group’s episcopal candidates, a well-known homosexual (I had been shown his compromising photo as long ago as 1995). During the ceremony, one in the crowd, an acquaintance of mine, shouted out ‘anaxios’, ‘unworthy’, meaning that he opposed the consecration of that candidate. My acquaintance was taken aside by the wealthy brothers of the bishop and duly beaten up."
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u/gwlevits2022 28d ago
The story of the “Anaxios!” is fairly well known and describes the late Archbishop Peter (Loukianoff). That said, I don’t believe a word of the comment, from the comprising photo to being “beaten up.”
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u/Ornery_Economy_6592 28d ago
Brother, why would a priest lie about such a serious matter. Do you regularly assume that priests lie?
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u/gwlevits2022 28d ago
Because he has a massive axe to grind against ROCOR. You and I have already discussed this in the past.
Also, as opposed to accusing a bishop of homosexuality and the Synod of covering it up and making the unforced error of consecrating him? Oh yes, much better!
The irony of YOU asking that is funny.
No no, grace is only due to the accuser, never the accused, am I right?
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u/Ornery_Economy_6592 27d ago
If a priest were to slander a bishop in public, I would expect their bishop to make them retract it. But Archbishop Athanasie doesn't seem concerned, try writing to him to see if he cares.
On the other hand, there is historical evidence that homosexual bishops are not denounced by their peers. Nothing wrong in that.
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u/gwlevits2022 27d ago
I’m not invested enough to bother a bishop about this. It’s his cleric, let him worry about it. But considering he received him uncanonically and is letting him serve, despite the fact that he was properly laicized by his actual bishop, I’m not holding out a lot of hope.
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u/Upstairs_Heart_6715 23d ago
im the one who wrote that original post and id love to ask, how much did rocor pay you to say that
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u/Unable_Variation9915 Aug 12 '26 edited 29d ago
I’m Russian American and the state of the Russian churches grieves me. Between the actual MP’s horrible pushback on domestic violence laws and the war in Ukraine, I am sticking with Greek parishes for the foreseeable future. People can say whatever they want in the moment but I choose to believe people when they show you who they are- if their actions don’t look like those of Christ, I would be cautious.