The Orthodox Christian News Service
http://www.orthodoxnews.netfirms.com/180/Has.htm
Submitted July 10, 2005
Pokrov.org Has a Deeper Agenda
From time to time I have seen postings and articles from the women of Pokrov.org present on OCN. These self-professed "watchdogs" of abuse in the Orthodox Church claim to provide a website for "victims" of Orthodoxy, and claim to bring abuse to the forefront in the Orthodox Church. If one digs deeper into their web page, however, and listens to statements the founders themselves have publicly made, one has to wonder if
there is a deeper agenda that Pokrov.org is trying to keep under wraps.
First of all, in an interview with the San Francisco Weekly periodical, co-founder Greta Larson is quoted: "You feel like it's just you against this big historical thing," says Greta Larson. "That's in the Catholic Church, too, but it's more so in the Orthodox Church.
There's a liberal vein of the Catholic Church, but [the Orthodox Church] is not even close to having that." (taken from SFWeekly.com article: "Un-Orthodox Behavior" 5-22-2002).
If you do not see any significance in that statement, consider co-founder Greta Larson's own personal website: on her "links" page, if you scroll down to "Other fun/important links," directly under her link to Pokrov.org, she has a link to Moveon.org (http://www.gretalarson.com/mainlinks.html). For those who may not know what Moveon.org is, it is a highly left-wing political activist group that are staunch
supporters of abortion and homosexual rights. The fact that she has such a link, under a so-called "Orthodox" link is shameful. Moveon.org supports causes that are entirely contrary to the Holy Orthodox Church and her teachings.
The Pokrov women’s own Bishop, Tikhon of California has been outspoken in his admonishment of these women and their refusal to stand up and be counted on the abortion issue. In various Orthodox chat rooms, the Pokrov women have been almost outright defiant when challenged by their Bishop on that matter. The closest any of the three of these women have come to taking a stance is when co-founder attorney Melanie Sakoda quoted something from Fr. Hopko and the church’s position on abortion and said she personally was in agreement with the statement she quoted. Many people, challenging Ms. Sakoda’s position have wondered if perhaps her answer was a clever political tactic to avoid coming right out and condemning abortion. The other Pokrov women have remained silent, co-founder Cappy Larson also implied that Pokrov’s
lack of support for the pro-life movement should not negate the "good" they are doing for victims of abuse. If their claim really is to support victims of ABUSE, why are they so defiant in supporting the ultimate victims of abuse: the unborn children?
The Orthodox Church canons are very clear in stating that abortion is murder.
Furthermore, the Pokrov women have expanded their scope beyond convicted child molesters and have added groups which they deem to be "controversial," providing mostly one-sided propaganda that is slanderous and defamatory in nature. Their page on Elder Ephraim, a canonical monk-priest with monasteries that are under the
canonical Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, presents accusations of cult-abuse. What’s more, his presence on a website devoted to pedophiles and other perverts implies something very wrong is going on in his monasteries. The women at Pokrov provide no solid proof for any of the things that they say. They are very resistant to printing anything that goes against the allegations they imply. The assault that they are launching on the Elder and Athonite monasticism is, in my opinion, deplorable. The fact that they are tainting readers by providing very inflammatory opinions and articles (that have no supportive proof) against Elder Ephraim is equally deplorable, and completely irresponsible from both a journalistic and an Orthodox perspective.
These few things are enough to make me wonder what their true mission is; I feel their motives are highly suspect, and traditional Orthodox Christians should be wary. It seems to me that Greta Larson’s words of a "liberal vein" not existing in the Orthodox
Church, paired with her activism to such liberal social causes like Moveon.org are quite telling of their true agenda. Their resistance to their own Bishop’s urging to stand up and be counted on the abortion issue, coupled with their unfounded vicious attacks on traditional Athonite monasticism makes me wonder if they are not out to seek to create the "liberal vein" of the Orthodox Church they so desire.
If that is the case, one has to wonder what other issues they are going to try to bring next to the forefront in the Orthodox Church. homosexual Rights? Abortion Rights? Certainly the Roman Catholic Church has a branch of followers who are seeking to press these
issues, issues about which our Holy Church speaks clearly. This small group of Catholics is trying to pave the way for homosexual rights and abortion rights and other liberal issues of contemporary society. Is this who Pokrov is using as their model? Is this why they attack Athonite monasticism, which speaks out openly against such liberal agendas? Do they believe Holy Orthodoxy is nothing more than a "Boys Club" that
needs to be reformed to suit a liberal agenda (or "vein")? One has to wonder. These issues should cause Orthodox Christians to be concerned and vigilant. It would be shameful if the women at Pokrov were using abuse as a backdoor way to launch an attack on the teachings of the Orthodox Church. Pokrov is always challenging Bishops to answer some tough questions. Maybe it is time for Pokrov to answer some
questions.
Respectfully-
Olga Petrova
(Mathematics graduate student in California)