Romanian High Court upholds prison sentence for former bishop in sexual abuse case

The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ) has issued final prison sentences in a high-profile sexual abuse case involving former clergy from the Orthodox Church. On Wednesday, April 30, the judges upheld the eight-year sentence for former bishop of Huși, Corneliu Onilă, and sentenced former archimandrite Sebastian Jitaru to 14 years and two months in prison for multiple counts of rape and sexual assault against seminary students, News.ro reported.

The crimes were committed at the “Ioan Gură de Aur” Theological Seminary in Huși, where both men held influential positions.

Jitaru was found guilty of repeatedly raping three students over several years, including one victim he assaulted at least nine times in a single year. Another was abused over a two-year period, sometimes twice a week. Onilă was convicted of abusing one of the same boys and was tried alongside Jitaru.

The court also ruled that Jitaru could not approach or contact the victims and barred him from serving as a priest for five years after his release.

Journalists from the investigative platform Să fie lumină were the first to reveal the full extent of the abuse and its systematic cover-up, accusing church authorities of silent complicity. The case marked a historic first for the Romanian Orthodox Church. It was the first time a bishop had been prosecuted for rape, and the first time a diocese - the Diocese of Huși - was held civilly liable in court for sexual abuse committed by its leadership.

In response to the court ruling, the Diocese of Huși issued a statement acknowledging the convictions and confirming that it severed all ties with Onilă and Jitaru back in August 2017.

“We deeply regret the suffering caused to the victims, as well as the scandal generated by this unimaginable case,” the diocese said, adding that the crimes were made even worse by the fact that the perpetrators were meant to be moral and spiritual leaders.

The church reiterated that institutions should not be judged by the actions of individuals, no matter their past roles or how they presented themselves.