Restoring Trust and Safety
Prosopon Healing is a nonprofit organization recognized as a 501(c)(3) public charity, dedicated to advancing awareness, research, and education on clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse within the Orthodox Church and beyond.
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The name Prosopon, from the Ancient Greek term for “person” or “face”, reflects our commitment to restoring dignity, identity, and voice to survivors. Healing emphasizes a focus on long-term recovery and community-based support.
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Our work centers on research and public education to better understand abuse, inform communities, and promote accountability.
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Disclaimer
Prosopon Healing does not provide legal advice or therapeutic counseling.
Clergy abuse occurs in all religious contexts, including within Orthodox churches. Clergy abuse can be spiritual abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, or sexual contact between a priest, bishop or deacon and parishioner/counselee. There is no consent involving unequal power, and clergy are always in a position of greater power.​
Orthodox Sexual Misconduct Database. ​This database is intended to serve as an open access resource, available to all. This database is an aggregator of public information only. All access to, and use of, this database is governed by disclaimers and terms of use (at the bottom of the page).
Research is fundamental to educating about clergy abuse, preventing clergy abuse and responding to clergy abuse in the Orthodox Church.
The unequal power between a clergy and a parishioner means there can be "no consent". Therefore, any unwanted sexualized touch in this circumstance is sexual assault. The first call should be to law enforcement.
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It is recommended that a survivor seek legal counsel before considering a report to church administration.
Healing resources.​​
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Learn how to recognize abuse within the Orthodox Church.
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Information on how often false allegations occur.
When a survivor reports abuse, the first response is critical.
