Bold on Climate, Silent on Abuse: Abuse Survivors and Advocates Call Out Templeton Foundation for Recognition of Ecumenical Patriarch
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen (w/ Coalition)
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/09/16
The Templeton Foundation awarded its 2025 Prize to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople (Dimitrios Archontonis) in spite of the Patriarch’s silence on clergy sexual abuse in Orthodoxy, a group of survivors and advocates say.
In individual letters sent to the foundation over the past six months, members of the group acknowledged that the Patriarch earned recognition for his work on environmental issues, a long-term focus of the “first among equals” leader in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. However, they explained, the Patriarch’s silence on abuse makes his prestigious John Templeton Prize win painful for survivors — especially those who have approached him directly about their experiences.
“I have repeatedly written to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew — as the highest spiritual authority in the Orthodox Church — imploring him to acknowledge and respond to the suffering of the victims and take action,” Bojan Jovanović, General Secretary of the Union of Christians of Croatia, wrote to the Foundation. “To this day, no response has ever been received.”
“Every institution that claims moral leadership must prove it where it matters most: protecting people,” Sally Zakhari, Executive Director of Coptic Survivor, said in her letter. “There is no lasting climate justice without justice for survivors—safety is the first duty.”
Members of the group began privately writing leadership of the foundation back in April, when the Ecumenical Patriarch was announced as the 2025 recipient of the John Templeton Prize. The letters, discussed a range of experience from survivors of abuse and their advocates, and noted repeated attempts to get the Ecumenical Patriarch to publicly address clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse in the church. Collectively they sought acknowledgement from the foundation that its lauding of the Patriarch was ill-advised.
Sinners and saints
Such an acknowledgement by the Templeton Foundation is not without precedent, precisely because previous laureates have proved problematic. While the likes of Francis Collins and Jane Goodall grace the list of previous winners, others have been found wanting — including some associated with notorious misconduct. Past recipients implicated in sexual abuse include Jean Vanier (2015), founder of L’Arche and former Dominican priest and evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala (2010). A report commissioned by L’Arche, published in the year after Vanier’s death, concluded that Vanier had sexually abused and manipulated six women over a course of decades, among them his assistants and nuns. Templeton has since amended its website to note that the organization was “appalled and saddened” by the findings. The foundation similarly noted that Ayala had faced sexual harassment accusations.
“There can be no true climate justice without social justice. The environment includes human beings,” neuroscientist and Prosopon Healing Co-Founder Hermina Nedelescu says of the group’s efforts. “It is deeply troubling that Patriarch Bartholomew is celebrated for his environmental leadership while disregarding the men, women and children who experience clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse and endure trauma under his spiritual authority.”
Public information about abuse in Orthodoxy has been compiled by Prosopon Healing. This database is modeled after the ‘Academic Sexual Misconduct Database’ and builds on the work of an earlier site, Pokrov.org. “We are primarily a research organization, examining the breadth and depth of clergy abuse within the Orthodox churches and the factors that can lead to abuses,” Katherine Archer, Executive Director of Prosopon Healing, explained, “However, our work also involves speaking to the numerous survivors who reach out to us.”
Prosopon Healing provides evidence-based research, resources and support for those affected, but the picture remains incomplete. To our knowledge, no Orthodox jurisdiction publishes concrete information on clergy abuse. By contrast, most Roman Catholic dioceses in America have done so.
Melanie Sakoda, President of the Board of Directors of Coptic Survivor and co-founder of Pokrov.org, shared these concerns in her letter to the foundation. “I believe awarding the Templeton Prize to a leader who has failed to speak out on this crucial issue was extremely short-sighted of the Foundation. To me, it calls into question Templeton’s moral credibility when it ignores the plight of victims who are still waiting to receive both help and justice.”
The tension that can erupt when a spiritual leader is lauded for external social justice work while failing to address injustice within the church is not unknown in the Christian world. In fact, in its press release about the Ecumenical Patriarch’s receipt of the award, the foundation noted that the Ecumenical Patriarch had collaborated with Pope Francis and former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on a first joint message for the protection of creation. Last year, Welby was forced to resign from his position as leader of the Church of England after a significant scandal emerged regarding his handling of grievous abuse complaints.
An opportunity for reform
The Patriarch’s authority to order reforms across the Orthodox world is limited. Orthodox jurisdictions have more self-governance than Roman Catholic dioceses. However, the group said, he could begin public discussion and urge accountability within Orthodoxy; abuse should be discussed and stopped.
One step towards stopping abuse, according to the group, would involve making the extent of abuse in Orthodoxy more widely known and understood. Many Orthodox faithful deny that problems with clergy abusing both children and adults exist. For example, churchgoers often cite the fact that clerics marry, unaware that most child sexual abuse is committed by men in relationships with adult women, such as married clergymen.
Support from the Ecumenical Patriarch, rather than silence, could help complete this picture, the group explained. “It is shameful that Patriarch Bartholomew has used his voice to champion environmental issues, where his power is limited, but has remained silent on clergy sexual abuse within Orthodoxy—where his views could be a beacon for reform,” Sakoda wrote.
Together, the advocates and survivors urge the Ecumenical Patriarch to finally speak out on abuse, to implement a safe venue for reporting and independently investigating abuse, and to increase transparent accountability.
The group acknowledges that a 2020 document developed by a special commission of Orthodox scholars, appointed by Patriarch Bartholomew, gave a nod to the issue of sexual abuse in Orthodox communities. However, that report contains no concrete acknowledgement of clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse, and totally ignored the plight of those abused as adults.
Moreover, in addition to this complaint regarding his silence, the survivors and advocates also know he ignored appeals from John Metsopoulos, Dr. Nedelescu’s husband, Kevin Hunt, and, as mentioned earlier, Bojan Jovanović.
Therefore, they renew their calls for the Templeton Foundation to acknowledge the suffering experienced by Orthodox survivors, stated eloquently in a letter sent by an anonymous survivor to the foundation in recent months. “I do not ask for vengeance. I ask for recognition. By listening to survivors, the John Templeton Foundation has the opportunity to send a powerful message: that true greatness includes honesty, justice, and protection of the vulnerable.”
Media Contacts:
Katherine Archer, Executive Director, Prosopon Healing: KatherineArcher@proton.me
Hermina Nedelescu, Ph.D. Neuroscientist, theologian, Co-Founder, Prosopon Healing: hermina.advocacy@proton.me
Scott Douglas Jacobsen, Independent Journalist: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com
Bojan Jovanović, General Secretary, Union of Christians of Croatia: jovanovicbojan711@gmail.com
Melanie Sakoda, President of the Board of Directors, Coptic Survivor: melanie.sakoda@gmail.com, 925-708-6175
Sally Zakhari, Executive Director, Coptic Survivor: copticsurvivor@gmail.com, 407-758-4874
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