{"id":12035,"date":"2020-02-07T16:00:37","date_gmt":"2020-02-08T00:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/?p=12035"},"modified":"2025-01-21T15:47:40","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T23:47:40","slug":"giacomo-sanfilippos-unholy-vendetta-against-faithful-orthodox-priests-and-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orthodoxytoday.org\/blog\/2020\/02\/giacomo-sanfilippos-unholy-vendetta-against-faithful-orthodox-priests-and-teachers\/","title":{"rendered":"Giacomo Sanfilippo’s Unholy Vendetta Against Faithful Orthodox Priests and Teachers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Giacomoby Fr. Ioannes Apiarius \u2013<\/p>\n

Via multiple posts and articles full of hysteria, wild exaggerations, distortions, and innuendos Giacomo Sanfilippo (also known as Peter J. Sanfilippo), has been relentlessly defaming and attacking several Orthodox Christian priests, bishops, and seminary professors. Why? Because these men dare to publicly and fearlessly defend the Orthodox Church teaching on homosexual sin and warn the Church about many false teachers (like Sanfilippo) and deceitful venues that question, challenge, mock, deconstruct, contradict, and distort Church teaching, practices, and theology, especially regarding morality, human sexuality, and marriage.<\/p>\n

Since 2017 Sanfilippo has used his inappropriately named \u201cOrthodoxy in Dialogue\u201d website, his Facebook pages, and his Twitter accounts to maliciously condemn these good men and smear their reputations. Sanfilippo has launched an unholy personal vendetta against these priests and teachers and is fomenting rebellion inside the Holy Orthodox Church. <\/p>\n

These priests have not responded in kind to Sanfilippo’s malevolent taunts.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Even worse, Sanfilippo has been recruiting others to join him and support his undignified endeavors. He’s intensifying his public character assassination campaign against these men. While he harasses and bullies faithful and honorable priests, he paints himself as a victim. (Included at the bottom of this post are several examples of Sanfilippo’s own public writings.)<\/p>\n

Sanfilippo is specifically targeting: Father Josiah Trenham, Father John Whiteford, Father Hans Jacobse, Dr. David Ford, Father Lawrence Farley, Father John Parker, Father Joseph Gleason, Metropolitan Joseph, and Metropolitan Tikhon. He has written outrageous things about these men (see below). He has insulted and belittled them. He has spread many falsehoods and innuendos about them. He has even accused them of \u201cmurder\u201d<\/a> for preaching the right theology of the Orthodox Church. And he refuses to stop, despite several pleas from some of these very same men, who have shown genuine Christian love towards Sanfilippo and advised him to repent and abandon his rebellion against the Church.<\/p>\n

These men have endured these vicious attacks with dignity and honor. These priests have not responded in kind to Sanfilippo’s malevolent taunts. They understand that they can\u2019t answer a fool according to his folly, lest they also become like him, as the Proverbs caution.<\/p>\n

We must speak out in defense of the righteous shepherds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But, brothers and sisters in Christ, while we don’t engage fools in their folly, we must warn the Church about them. We must caution the innocent and the vulnerable to stay away from false teachers like Giacomo Sanfilippo and other corrupt impostors and hirelings. We must warn the sheep and point out the depraved wolves who are trying to lead them astray. We must speak out in defense of the righteous shepherds.<\/p>\n

Brothers and sisters in Christ, these faithful men are our brothers. These innocent men are true shepherds of the Holy Orthodox Church. Sanfilippo is trying to silence their voices, besmirch their good names, negatively impact their livelihoods, hurt their families, and scatter their sheep. While they chose not to defend themselves, we must defend them.<\/p>\n

while we don’t engage fools in their folly, we must warn the Church about them<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The rest of the rational flock cannot sit in silence. \u201cNot only for every idle word must man give an account, but for every idle silence,\u201d Saint Ambrose warns us. We must not remain quiet. We have a duty to speak up and affirm these shepherds\u2019 right preaching and teaching. We need to praise and support these good men.<\/p>\n

We cannot witness these constant defamatory statements and not expose and denounce them. We have a duty to admonish the false teachers and call them to repentance. As Saint Paul the Apostle has told us: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11).<\/p>\n

Giacomo Sanfilippo is scandalizing the Orthodox Church and attacking Her right teaching and faithful priests and teachers. He\u2019s bearing false witness when he insists these men are \u201cunworthy.\u201d<\/p>\n

We, on the other hand, bear witness to the Truth and tell the entire Church that these priests and teachers are worthy:<\/p>\n