Update on Metropolitan Archbishop Joseph Thaddeus

Metropolitan Archbishop Joseph Thaddeus and his American Orthodox Church have relocated to Wapato, Washington, according to the group’s website. While Thaddeus does not appear on the state’s public sex offender registry, Pokrov.org has been told that he is registered with the authorities. However, Washington law does not require that a person appear on the public registry for the type of crimes for which the metropolitan was convicted.

Thaddeus was convicted of child sexual abuse in California in 1991 and was sentenced to 13 years and four months in state prison. He pleaded no contest to three counts of oral copulation with a child under the age of 18, and two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. Both of the victims were male.

The metropolitan had a previous conviction in California in 1966 for annoying/molesting children.

Thaddeus and his church were for many years located in New Mexico. However, in 2009 the metropolitan relocated to Idaho.