Orthodox archdiocese bans bishop from liturgy

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — An Orthodox bishop accused of groping a woman’s breast at a Michigan casino has been temporarily barred from preaching or performing liturgies and will undergo treatment for alcohol abuse, a church official said.

A statement the church released this week said Bishop Demetri Khoury, of Toledo, ”has acknowledged that he has a problem with alcohol, that perhaps combined with various medications he has been taking for serious health problems, may have contributed to his actions in Traverse City, which he truly regrets.”

The statement is from Metropolitan Philip, head of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

”We will not abandon Bishop Demetri, who is both a brother and a friend,” Metropolitan Philip said. However, he also said that he has ordered the bishop ”not to preach or preside at any liturgical service … while this matter is under investigation.”

Khoury, 54, who oversees eight states and Ontario for the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, was arraigned Thursday in Traverse City, Mich., on charges of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and being drunk and disorderly. He was released on $25,000 bond. A preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 1.

Michigan authorities said the incident involving the woman was recorded July 9 on the Turtle Creek Casino’s video surveillance system.

If convicted of the sexual misconduct charge, the bishop faces as much as two years in jail, a $500 fine and mandatory HIV/sexually transmitted disease testing. The drunk and disorderly charge carries a 90-day sentence and/or fine of $500.

”I have directed Bishop Demetri to seek professional help,” Metropolitan Philip said. ”He is willing to do that and has already made arrangements for inpatient treatment at a well-recognized facility. Once he receives permission of the civil authorities, he will be entering a 90-day treatment program.”

The bishop, reached early Wednesday at the archdiocese’s Toledo chancery, said he had no comment on the statement.

A native of Ramallah, in the West Bank, Khoury was ordained as a priest in 1975 and consecrated as a bishop on March 12, 1995. He oversees approximately 45 churches in the Midwest Region, which includes Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Kentucky and West Virginia, and in Ontario.