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Submitted July 16, 2005
Ad Calls for
Bishops to Account
In Case of Defrocked Priest
Seven Orthodox
Hierarchs Named
By Paul Cromidas |
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July 14, 2005
The web site Pokrov.org has taken out an
advertisement in a Greek-American newspaper
calling for accountability by bishops in the
case of a priest defrocked for sexual
misconduct.
The ad called for bishops of the Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese (GOA) and the Antiochian Orthodox
Archdiocese(AA) to explain how Gabriel Barrow,
who had been previously suspended by the
Antiochian church, was allowed to become a
priest in the GOA. The quarter-page ad appeared
in the July 2 issue of the English edition of
The National Herald, a prominent ethnic paper
published in New York. This is perhaps the first
time such an ad has appeared in Orthodox
circles, and it comes at a time of increased
concerns being expressed on this issue in
Orthodoxy.
The Pokrov.org web site is a six-year-old
service created to assist people who have been
abused in the Orthodox Church. Barrow had been
defrocked earlier this year by the GOA, after
having served in a parish near Houston.
The ad also praised alleged victims who came
forward and testified in Spiritual Court against
Barrow. It gave background about the case, in
part because the Greek archdiocese had said it
would only announce the action in its official
newspaper, the Orthodox Observer. The listing in
the Observer turned out to be a brief, two-line
mention that Barrow was “Returned to Status of
Layman”, and did not even say that he had been
defrocked, or the reason for it.
Finally, the ad message urged church members to
“Make Your Bishops Accountable”, and named seven
hierarchs who, it said, “had knowledge,
accountability and responsibility in this case.”
The seven bishops listed, with their addresses,
were:
In the GOA:
Archbishop Demetrios, primate; Metropolitan
Maximos of the Pittsburgh diocese; Metropolitan
Isaiah of the Denver diocese, who was Barrow’s
superior; and Bishop Savas, who is the
chancellor of the archdiocese.
In the Antiochian Archdiocese:
Metropolitan Philip, primate; Bishop Antoun of
the archdiocese office; and Bishop Basil of the
Wichita diocese.
A list of questions that could be asked of the
bishops was suggested. These included:
• How did Fr. Barrow become a priest in the GOA?
• Did the GOA recruit him?
• Did the Antiochian Archdiocese (AA) recommend
him?
• Did the GOA know of his prior suspension by
the AA?
• What is the official reason that the AA
released Fr. Barrow?
• Did the AA disclose information about that
suspension, or in any way
object to his transfer to the GOA?
A representative of the web site has reported
that more than the usual number of inquiries has
been received since the ad ran.
(Mr. Cromidas, of Dallas, Texas, has written
several articles about the misconduct issue. He
is a retired social agency executive and has
served as a parish council president in a GOA
parish.)
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