Archbishop pleads not guilty to abusing Winnipeg boys 30 years ago
18/11/2011
WINNIPEG — A high-ranking orthodox archbishop has pleaded not guilty to historical sex abuse charges in Manitoba.
Archbishop Seraphim Storheim appeared in a Winnipeg courtroom Thursday for the start of his preliminary hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial. A court-ordered ban prevents specific details from being published.
Storheim was the highest-ranking Canadian cleric in the Orthodox Church in America until church officials suspended him last November, days after Winnipeg police laid charges against him. Police conducted a lengthy investigation into allegations Storheim sexually abused two teenage boys while he was a priest in Winnipeg 30 years ago.
None of the allegations have been proven and he is presumed innocent.
