Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Cathedral is a parish of the Diocese of New York and New Jersey of the Orthodox Church in America. The Holy Synod of Bishops has set written policies, standards, and procedures on sexual misconduct for the whole Orthodox Church in America, and the diocese has adopted them for every parish, ours included. They apply to clergy and lay workers alike and set out how a complaint is reported, investigated, and decided.
The diocese also keeps its own Sexual Harassment Policy, adopted under New York State law, and guidance on background checks for parish workers. Each document is posted below as the diocese publishes it, with a copy to download.
How to Report
If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. In New Jersey, anyone who has reason to believe a child has been abused or neglected must report it to the state Child Abuse Hotline at 1-877-652-2873 (1-877-NJ ABUSE), answered at all hours.
Within the Church, the OCA policy names who must report and to whom. Section 8.01 reads in full:
A Lay Person, Lay Worker or Clergyman who perceives or believes that particular conduct or verbal/ non-verbal behavior of another Clergyman, Lay Person or Lay Worker may constitute sexual misconduct must immediately report such conduct or comments. Failure to report a complaint will have canonical consequences and may also have legal or civil consequences. All reports of misconduct must include the name of the alleged Victim(s), if known, and/or other identifying information, and the name and other identifying information of the Respondent(s). All complaints of possible Sexual Misconduct must be reported whether received anonymously or not.
A Lay Person or Lay Worker must immediately report such conduct or comments to, at minimum, the parish rector, or head of the Institution (or whoever is responsible for the parish, monastery or Institution) who, in turn, has the responsibility to forward the report, preferably in writing, to the Ruling Bishop and the Office for Review of Sexual Misconduct Allegations in accordance with Section 8.02 below. Should the parish rector be the direct or indirect subject of the complaint, the report of the Lay Person or Lay Worker shall be made to the Ruling Bishop and the Office for Review of Sexual Misconduct Allegations. The Lay Person or Lay Worker may also report to any or all of the following: OCA Chancellor and the OCA legal counsel; any such person who receives such a report shall forward the same to the others named in this sentence.
A Clergyman must immediately report such conduct or comments to the following:
- (A) The Ruling Bishop; and
- (B) The Office for Review of Sexual Misconduct Allegations
provided, however, that a complaint is not required to be made to someone who is the Respondent. Any person who receives a report from a Clergyman shall immediately forward a copy of the report to the others named in the list of persons to whom a report shall be made. A complaint may be made orally or in writing. Should the Ruling Bishop be the direct or indirect subject of a complaint, the report required by this Section shall be made to the Metropolitan rather than to the Ruling Bishop, as well as the Holy Synod, unless the Metropolitan is the direct or indirect subject of the allegations, in which case the report shall be made to the Holy Synod of Bishops or their designate rather than to the Ruling Bishop or Metropolitan.
Section 8.10 adds that retaliation against a victim, or against anyone who in good faith has made a complaint or report or taken part in an investigation, is prohibited. The rest of Section 8, and the investigation and decision steps that follow it, are in the full policy below.
The Orthodox Church in America keeps current guidance and contacts for its Office for Review of Sexual Misconduct Allegations at oca.org/about/sexual-misconduct.
Policies, Standards, and Procedures on Sexual Misconduct
Approved by the Holy Synod of Bishops at its March 2014 meeting and adopted by the Diocese of New York and New Jersey. The document runs to 39 pages in sixteen sections:
- Introductory Matters
- Definitions
- Policy and Principles of the Church
- Purposes, Scope, and Application
- Standards of Conduct for Clergy
- Standards of Conduct for Lay Persons or Lay Workers
- Church Structure Concerning Sexual Misconduct Allegations
- Reports and Complaints of Sexual Misconduct
- Investigations
- Final Decisions
- Recruiting and Selecting Parish Workers
- Approving Applicants for Seminary, Ordination, Receiving Clergy into the OCA and for Periodic Screening of Clergy
- Supervision of Church Workers and Children
- Training and Education
- Registered Sex Offenders
- Epilogue
Sexual Harassment Policy
Adopted by the Diocesan Council on December 10, 2018, in accordance with New York State law. The policy covers all employees, applicants for employment, interns, whether paid or unpaid, contractors, and persons conducting business with the diocese. It defines sexual harassment and retaliation, and sets out how to file a complaint with the diocese and with government agencies.
Background Checks
The Holy Synod of Bishops issued guidelines on background checks in March 2014, revised July 20, 2014. The diocese's guidance for parish rectors lists who must have a background check: any major or minor clergy, down to readers; adult altar servers; Sunday School teachers; choir directors; and anyone having more than incidental contact with youth.
The national sex offender registry can be searched at nsopw.gov.
Who to Contact
The Diocese
Diocese of New York and New Jersey
33 Hewitt Avenue
Bronxville, NY 10708
(914) 779-6580
info@nynjoca.org
The Cathedral
Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Cathedral
109 Grand Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302
(201) 434-1986
ssppnj@gmail.com
The documents on this page are published by the Diocese of New York and New Jersey at nynjoca.org. Copies here are provided for convenience; the diocese's site holds the current versions.
These policies apply in every parish of the diocese, including Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Cathedral.