Gleb Podmoshensky

[Nick Moser]

Gleb Podmoshensky left a dark mark on Platina Monastery’s history. His crimes reportedly began after Fr. Seraphim’s repose in 1982, and it seems Seraphim was unaware of them,he would have repented such immoral urges, including those tied to homosexuality. When the allegations surfaced, ROCOR acted only to defrock Gleb for disobedience, taking no legal action and notifying no authorities; the monastery itself went into schism to avoid accountability.

Years later, a New Age group called the Holy Order of MANS encountered Platina. Drawn to its Orthodox practices, they gradually embraced Orthodoxy, eventually forming the Christ the Savior Brotherhood. Some communities joined the Bulgarians, others the Serbs or the OCA; Platina aligned with the Serbian Church. Part of this integration required that Gleb leave the monastery and be denied burial there. The Brotherhood’s delayed Orthodox embrace and distance from Platina were influenced by Podmoshensky’s crimes and the lack of justice, yet he still received a glowing obituary.

As a young man, my commitment to Orthodoxy over Catholicism reflects concern over New Age and sexual immorality infiltration, as well as the increasingly secular and liberal political and theological stances of the Catholic Church.


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[Lukaris]

While I believe you have valid concerns to be aware of, I don’t think much of this has had much of an impact on the average parish level. Things can change quickly of course or sometimes different problems, not directly related, can lead to splits like in a family.

I know my grandparents witnessed the disorganization caused by the likes of vagante bishop Aftimios Ofiesh in our parish. In a separate matter, there was some sort of split in our parish during WW 2 & my grandfather resigned from the parish council & pulled his family out of the Church. One thing leads to another it seems. My grandmother eventually returned to Orthodoxy & my grandfather supported her although he remained aloof & somewhat disillusioned. He had later considered conversion to 7th Day Adventist at one point or Baptist on another. Both Protestant groups said our family had to be baptized and my grandfather said they already were ( his Orthodox baptism held despite other problems) so he did not accept a different Christian faith from Orthodoxy in the end.

The story of Aftimios Ofiesh:

Aftimios Ofiesh - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ArmyMatt]

I am pretty sure Fr Herman did repent and die at peace with the Church as a lay monk.

 

[Nick Moser]

Wow I'd like to read it all right I just don't want to have the same problem as a Catholic Church where there is a massive problem with creeps going inside the church and their crimes being covered up.

 

[E.C.]

Thankfully, not all jurisdictions ignore these problems like ROCOR. Nor was this the only monastery where ROCOR failed to notify the authorities and failed to protect additional victims.

The OCA, for example, actually defrocked the former Archbishop Seraphim of Canada when it was found that he was guilty of molestation back when he was a Lutheran minister several decades prior. Once the Crown Court of Canada found him guilty, the OCA Synod met, voted, and, defrocked him back to either lay monk or layman.

 

[The Liturgist]

Thankfully, not all jurisdictions ignore these problems like ROCOR. Nor was this the only monastery where ROCOR failed to notify the authorities and failed to protect additional victims.

The OCA, for example, actually defrocked the former Archbishop Seraphim of Canada when it was found that he was guilty of molestation back when he was a Lutheran minister several decades prior. Once the Crown Court of Canada found him guilty, the OCA Synod met, voted, and, defrocked him back to either lay monk or layman.

Please stop criticizing ROCOR - especially on baseless grounds. St. Herman’s Monastery left ROCOR before they completed their investigation, and likewise Holy Transfiguration Monastery left and formed the unfortunate schismatic HOCNA jurisdiction to stop a justified investigation into former Elder Panteleimon.

I and many other members have a great love for ROCOR and I think we should really refrain from criticizing any of the canonical Orthodox jurisdictions in North America, since all of them have good aspects. For example, GoArch and the other EP jurisdictions have St. Anthony’s Monastery and the other Hagioritic monasteries founded by Elder Ephraim, the OCA has St. Tikhon’s Monastery and SVS and some lovely parishes like Holy Resurrection in Vancouver and Holy Virgin Mary in Los Angeles, and the convent of St. Barbara near Ojai, and the Antiochians are the most fun to be around, the Bulgarians and Romanians have beautiful liturgies, the three Georgian Orthodox churches are the only place where one can reliably hear the exquisite triphonal chants, the Serbians have the Slava, and ROCOR and the Patriarchal Parishes excel at liturgics - indeed Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco is the largest Orthodox Church in the Western Hemisphere and the Synodal Cathedral of the Sign in New York has particularly splendid music

 

[E.C.]

Please stop criticizing ROCOR - especially on baseless grounds. St. Herman’s Monastery left ROCOR before they completed their investigation, and likewise Holy Transfiguration Monastery left and formed the unfortunate schismatic HOCNA jurisdiction to stop a justified investigation into former Elder Panteleimon.

Baseless grounds? Really?

-St Herman's in Platina: Gleb Podmoshansky molests people and goes into schism. ROCOR does not inform the authorities.
-Holy Transfiguration in Brookline: Panteleimon molests people and goes into schism. ROCOR does not inform the authorities.
-Christ of the Hills in Plano, TX: Benedict Green and his ilk form a pedophilia factory disguised as an Orthodox monastery complete with a fraudulent "weeping" icon and was eventually shut down by the federal authorities. ROCOR still does not inform the authorities.

More recently, there has been a ROCOR priest who, according to the OrthodoxChristianity subreddit, has been sexually assaulting his own wife and children. It has been reported to his diocesan bishop, who happens to be Metropolitan Nicholas, but has anything been done? No. Has any investigation been conducted? No. Have the authorities been notified? Despite my encouragement to do so on the subreddit, no.

Much more locally here in the Washington DC area we have the clergy at the ROCOR Cathedral whom I have heard personally tell inquirers, "Do not go to the OCA parishes because they are all bad priests." Back home in Washington State, the Hawaiian Myrrh-Streaming Icon of the Mother of God may visit the ROCOR Cathedral there, sure, but not once in my long memory have they ever invited the local non-ROCOR clergy to venerate Her. Instead they hide Her and keep Her to themselves like a candle in the cabinet.


No, I will not stop criticizing ROCOR, nor will I stop criticizing any other jurisdiction including my own because they need the criticism. We are called to be obedient and respectful, yes, but not controlled. As far as ROCOR goes, I will ease up on some criticism when they learn to hold their clergy accountable. Here we have three monasteries and at least one publicly known priest who have all molested and/or assaulted people and not been held accountable. The OCA may not be perfect, but at least we defrocked our bishop after he was found guilty of pedophilia in a court of law. At least we held our rogue priest accountable for participating in the January 6 Insurrection who then ran off where all other Orthodox renegade clergy go with open arms: ROCOR. And at least we require background checks and psychological testing for future clergy unlike ROCOR who made a man a priest who had been fired by the Philadelphia Police Department for racism and excessive police brutality against the city's black citizens (the former priest at an ex-girlfriend's ROCOR parish in PA). If ROCOR were truly as obedient to the Church canons as their clergy and laity claim, than they would be part of the OCA. Perhaps if ROCOR held their clergy accountable and acted more like a part of the Orthodox Church and not the arrogant organ of the Russian World that she has become than I would not have so much to criticize her for.

 

[rusmeister]

In things like these, we the laity have to walk a tightrope.
On the one hand, we have to acknowledge that Bishops and clergy have authority over us in matters of Holy Tradition, and we must be respectful to them.
On the other hand, we mustn’t turn a blind eye when we are absolutely sure that they are doing wrong and/or evil, and they can’t literally tell us everything that we can and must do or not do. some things really cut across those lines, like requiring people to wear masks in church, I think it’s a really good question - do they really have the authority to do that? Honestly, I don’t think so.

So it is here. two pitfalls, one on either side, falling into one of which wind up supporting a form of tyranny or totalitarianism, the act of excessive and blind trust in obedience, and on the other side, falling into anarchy, where the individual makes himself the arbiter of the faith, and Orthodoxy is in the eye of the beholder. i’ve certainly seen the one in Russia, but the other seems no less dangerous to me.

Purely as an aside, I note that literally no one here has started a thread on the murder of Charlie Kirk and the Ukrainian woman, and the growing unrest and conflict in the country.

 

[The Liturgist]

@rusmeister I don’t post threads on current events but i’ve been praying fervently for Irnya Zarutska, memory eternal, and her loved ones, who was the victim of a terrible violent act, and for Charlie Kirk, memory eternal, and his loved ones, as well as the victims of the crash of the Elvador da Gloria in Lisbon. These events cause me great distress and all I really want to talk about on ChristianForums is the liturgy and a few other subjects of mutual interest; I also defend from unwarranted attacks, most of which seem to come from Seventh Day Adventists and Pentecostals (whose opposition to us and rapid growth were prophesied by Fr. Seraphim Rose) the traditional liturgical churches such as the Roman Catholics, the traditional Anglicans and confessing Lutherans and conservative liturgical Methodists, the Eastern Catholics, the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East, and naturally the canonical Eastern Orthodox and our Oriental Orthodox friends.

I hope you don’t think the fact that I haven’t made posts on those issues to indicate a lack of care or concern - far from it. I am in an unpleasant situation with my health which is interfering with my work and creating problems almost as unpleasant as some of those you have had to deal with, and I am just doing my best. But I want you to know I’m praying for you, I love you very much along with all other Eastern Orthodox members, and my main hope for the Orthodox forum is that we continue to love one another here and not allow this forum to become like a now-defunct Orthodox forum which I never joined, where the members seemed to be cruel to each other for recreational value.

 

[rusmeister]

@rusmeister I don’t post threads on current events but i’ve been praying fervently for Irnya Zarutska, memory eternal, and her loved ones, who was the victim of a terrible violent act, and for Charlie Kirk, memory eternal, and his loved ones, as well as the victims of the crash of the Elvador da Gloria in Lisbon. These events cause me great distress and all I really want to talk about on ChristianForums is the liturgy and a few other subjects of mutual interest; I also defend from unwarranted attacks, most of which seem to come from Seventh Day Adventists and Pentecostals (whose opposition to us and rapid growth were prophesied by Fr. Seraphim Rose) the traditional liturgical churches such as the Roman Catholics, the traditional Anglicans and confessing Lutherans and conservative liturgical Methodists, the Eastern Catholics, the Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East, and naturally the canonical Eastern Orthodox and our Oriental Orthodox friends.

I hope you don’t think the fact that I haven’t made posts on those issues to indicate a lack of care or concern - far from it. I am in an unpleasant situation with my health which is interfering with my work and creating problems almost as unpleasant as some of those you have had to deal with, and I am just doing my best. But I want you to know I’m praying for you, I love you very much along with all other Eastern Orthodox members, and my main hope for the Orthodox forum is that we continue to love one another here and not allow this forum to become like a now-defunct Orthodox forum which I never joined, where the members seemed to be cruel to each other for recreational value.

Hi! I wasn’t meaning to pick on anyone in particular.
Anyway, it was an aside, and I don’t want to derail the thread.

 

[The Liturgist]

Hi! I wasn’t meaning to pick on anyone in particular.
Anyway, it was an aside, and I don’t want to derail the thread.

Thank you very much. I appreciate that! And I am continuing to pray for you.

 

[prodromos]

Purely as an aside, I note that literally no one here has started a thread on the murder of Charlie Kirk and the Ukrainian woman, and the growing unrest and conflict in the country.

I felt there were enough threads already on CF that it didn't need to be dragged in here. I already know that there are some here who are not fans of Charlie Kirk, so I figured it was better to leave discussion outside TAW.

 

[Lukaris]

Speaking of Charlie Kirk (may he rest in peace), he appears to have had been a genuine friend in Christian fellowship with Orthodoxy.

America's Best-Kept Religious Secret? Learning About Eastern Orthodoxy with Fr. John Strickland

Thousands of American Christians are converting to the Eastern Orthodox faith — yet most American Catholics and Protestants know little to nothing about it. What do the Orthodox believe, what sets them apart from other denominations, and what has it attracting so many converts? Charlie spoke to Orth

thecharliekirkshow.com