{"id":698,"date":"2024-06-28T13:16:07","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T13:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=698"},"modified":"2024-06-28T13:16:07","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T13:16:07","slug":"update-romanian-former-bishop-convicted-of-sexual-abuse-after-journalistic-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=698","title":{"rendered":"Update: Romanian former bishop convicted of sexual abuse after journalistic investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Update:<\/strong> The Hu\u0219i Diocese issued a\u00a0press release<\/a>\u00a0regarding the conviction, noting that it has had \u201cno canonical connection\u201d with Corneliu Onil\u0103 since August 2017.<\/p>\n

“We deeply regret the scandal caused by this case, which is hard to imagine, as well as the unworthy behavior towards innocent and defenseless individuals, who were victims of the sexual abuses confirmed by the court,\u201d the Hu\u0219i Diocese said.<\/p>\n

\u201cUntil a final decision is made in this case, we believe that the gravity of the acts is further compounded by the fact that they are attributed to Church servants, who should have been, above all, examples of morality and respect for human dignity. Therefore, we reiterate that no institution can be confused with an individual. […] The guilt exclusively belongs to the individuals against whom the crimes were charged, and the Hu\u0219i Diocese has the right to recourse against those involved. In light of these realities, the Hu\u0219i Diocese will challenge the fulfillment of legal conditions regarding the imposition of joint liability as a civilly responsible party,\u201d the institution further noted.<\/p>\n

Initial story:<\/strong> The former bishop of Hu\u0219i, Corneliu Onil\u0103, was sentenced to 8 years in jail for sexual abuse of two students of the theological seminary. The decision is not final, however, and can be appealed.<\/p>\n

It is the first time in the history of the Orthodox Church in Romania that a bishop is sentenced to prison for rape.<\/p>\n

The announcement regarding the conviction was made by journalists Diana Oncioiu and Ovidiu Vanghele, whose journalistic investigations led to Corneliu Onil\u0103’s indictment. He was tried at the Gala\u021bi Court of Appeal, but the trial was held in secret sessions for four years at the former bishop’s request, according to HotNews<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Alongside Corneliu Onil\u0103, the former archimandrite of the Hu\u0219i Diocese, Sebastian Jitaru, was also sentenced to 15 years in prison.\u00a0The sentence is not final and will be appealed to the High Court of Cassation and Justice.<\/p>\n

The victims of the bishop and his associates are also entitled to financial compensation between EUR 50,000 and EUR 70,000 from the Romanian state, as the school was found liable in the case.<\/p>\n

The Hu\u0219i Diocese was at the center of an unprecedented sexual scandal in 2017. Bishop Corneliu Onil\u0103 was blackmailed by three clerics, including archimandrite Sebastian Jitaru, with compromising video recordings. Advised by his counselors, Onil\u0103 filed a complaint with the DNA for blackmail. The three clerics were sent to trial and convicted of blackmail, with the investigation initially limited to this crime.<\/p>\n

Reporters from S\u0103 fie lumin\u0103<\/a> (Let there be light) revealed that at least one video evidence demonstrating the sexual abuses of the former Hu\u0219i bishop did not reach the Prosecutor’s Office of the Ia\u0219i Court of Appeal. Following the revelations, the Prosecutor’s Office decided to reopen the criminal investigation.<\/p>\n

Corneliu Onil\u0103 resigned in August 2017 and has been in penance at V\u0103ratec Monastery since then. He denied the accusations against him, stating through his lawyer that the incriminating images were faked. During this entire period, he retained his rank as a retired bishop.<\/p>\n

The former bishop of Hu\u0219i was detained in 2020 for 24 hours, but the High Court of Cassation and Justice decided to let him go while investigations were ongoing.<\/p>\n

“It’s a belated form of reparation for the victims, a historic decision for an entire diocese of the Romanian Orthodox Church, proving to be morally bankrupt, and also recognition of the journalism of the S\u0103 fie lumin\u0103 team, journalism excellently done in the public interest,” said Ovidiu Vanghele in a Facebook post.<\/p>\n

radu@romania-insider.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

(Photo source:\u00a0Cateyeperspective<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Dreamstime.com<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Update: The Hu\u0219i Diocese issued a\u00a0press release\u00a0regarding the conviction, noting that it has had \u201cno canonical connection\u201d with Corneliu Onil\u0103 since August 2017. “We deeply regret the scandal caused by this case, which is hard to imagine, as well as the unworthy behavior towards innocent and defenseless individuals, who were victims of the sexual abuses […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}