Its Always the Cover-Up That Gets Them, Orthodox Reform, November 16, 2007

It's Always the Cover-Up That Gets Them

Orthodox Reform
November 16, 2007

http://orthodoxreform.org/opinion/its-always-the-cover-up-that-gets-them/

The Orthodox of America are asking themselves many questions regarding the scandals of our day. What did the Orthodox Hierarchs know about the unethical practices of our clergy, and when did they know it? The National Herald today asked:

Did members of our Church's ecclesiastical framework, at various levels of the Church's administrative strata, have prior knowledge of priests with certain proclivities and records of abusing minors? After all, this is what the lawsuits are alleging to justify pursuing reparation from other than those who are allegedly directly responsible.

We hope the Church is simply acting in its own defense, but circumstances being what they are, and the spirit of the times being what it is (e.g., the Roman Catholic Church's sex scandals), we are raising these questions in the hope of helping our community search for answers to effectively confront this grave challenge. Source

Below is a comment posted today by an OCA priest on the Orthodox Forum Yahoo Group. He said:

"It's Always the Cover-up That Gets Them"

The above is a quote from today's NY Daily News regarding Barry Bond's indictment on perjury charges. The article talks about Jason Giambi, who told the truth at the Balco hearings and paid a heavy public relations price when his testimony was revealed, but the article also compares him to Bonds, who is now facing jail time for lying to a Grand Jury and refusing to let the truth out. Giambi was guilty but he was honest and the matter goes no further. Bonds, for lying and covering up, will take his records and his millions to jail with him. How many examples do we need to know that those who perform the cover-up (Bonds, Watergate, where the crime was minor but the cover-up ruined a presidency), usually pay a greater price than those who committed the crime? In the end, only the truth ever wins. An open wound can hurt, but the quicker its cleaned up and cared for, the quicker the body heals. An untreated wound that's cover-up and allowed to fester untreated…. enough said.

The deafening silence coming from many of the Orthodox Hierarchs (from both the GOAA and the OCA) to adequately address the questions the laity are asking is disturbing. Whatever the sin or crime, honesty is always the best policy. The time has come for an open and honest dialog to address these issues.