ON SPIRITUAL DARKNESS IN HIGH PLACES

EXPLANATORY FORWARD

Beloved Faithful in Christ,

Grace and peace to you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In light of recent public disclosures related to the so-called “Epstein files,” the Archdiocese has issued a formal declaration of anathema against child abuse and human sacrifice outlined in these documents. Because this language is unfamiliar, and understandably troubling to many in our time, it is necessary to explain clearly what such a declaration is, what it is not, and why the Church has spoken in this way.

First, an anathema is not a curse born of hatred, nor is it a denial that repentance is possible. From the earliest days of the Church, anathema has been a solemn act of ecclesial discipline, commanded by Holy Scripture itself, and employed only in the gravest circumstances. St. Paul explicitly instructs the Church to separate certain unrepentant offenders from communion, even to the point of “delivering such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:19–20; Matthew 18:15–17; 2 Thessalonians 3:14–15).

The purpose of such an act is threefold:

1) To condemn evil clearly, without ambiguity or evasion.

2) To protect the faithful, especially the innocent and vulnerable, from scandal and spiritual harm.

3) To call offenders to genuine repentance, not mere words, but a full turning of heart, life, and action.

The Church’s ultimate aim is always the salvation of souls. Those who repent of evil always retain hope of salvation. However, repentance in the Christian tradition is not a private sentiment, a verbal formula, or a strategic appeal to mercy. True repentance is a total reorientation of the will, accompanied by the fruits worthy of repentance, including submission to temporal justice where grave crimes have been committed.

In cases involving extreme moral corruption; especially the abuse, trafficking, and destruction of children, the Scripture and Tradition do not permit the Church to speak softly or vaguely. The blood of the innocent cries out to God (Genesis 4:10), and the Church must stand where Christ Himself stands: with the victims, not with their abusers.

For this reason, the declaration of anathema addresses public, manifest, and unrepentant evil, and it names the moral reality of such actions before God and the world. This is not an act of personal vengeance, nor a presumption upon God’s final judgment. Rather, it is the Church exercising her God-given authority to bind and loose, to guard the flock, and to refuse the misuse of mercy as a shield for injustice.

It must also be said plainly: the Church does not, and cannot, declare anyone eternally damned. Final judgment belongs to God alone. Yet the Church is obligated to declare when actions place a person outside the life of communion, and when continued participation without repentance would itself be a lie against the Gospel.

Historically, anathema has been reserved for two categories of grave danger to the Church and to souls: One, severe moral perversion that destroys others, and, two, false teaching about God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit that corrupts the faith.

The present declaration concerns the former, in its most horrifying and destructive form.

Finally, this declaration should be understood not as the Church “cursing” the sinners, since they have already done that themselves, but as the Church refusing to curse the victims by silence. We are formally recognizing the state of the sinner, as they themselves have cut themselves off from grace, magnified Satan as their lord, and have removed all benefits and blessings, spiritual protection and temporal solace of the Church. Mercy that abandons truth is not mercy at all, and “mercy” that condones or silently retreats from protecting the innocent is mislabeled cowardice. Compassion that shields evil is cruelty to the innocent. The Church of Jesus Christ must always proclaim both forgiveness and justice, repentance and accountability, grace and truth, and never one against the other.

May God grant repentance where it is still possible, healing to the wounded, justice to the oppressed, and purity to His Church.

In the fear of God,

Bp. Joseph

Secretary to the Holy Synod

The Orthodox Archdiocese of America

SYNODAL LETTER