Kim Gale  |  October 20, 2020

Category: Legal News

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After reporting sexual abuse allegations to church leaders for 17 years got her nowhere, a woman captured the Coptic Church's attention via social media.

A woman says she tried reporting sexual abuse for years to her church’s hierarchy, but it was a social media post that finally captured attention.

Sally Zakhari told the Associated Press that when she was 11 or 12 years old, she was sexually abused by a priest from the Coptic Orthodox Church who was staying with the family in Florida. Reweis Aziz Khalil was visiting the U.S. from Egypt when her family allowed him to stay with them.

Zakhari said she comes from a family that is faithfully Coptic Orthodox, which is a Christian faith that originated in Egypt and has its own pope, bishops and priests. Copts, as they are called, are not Catholic nor Protestant.

For 17 years, Zakhari said she approached other priests, bishops and two popes who led the Coptic church, but it wasn’t until she made Facebook and Instagram posts regarding the sexual abuse that she was taken seriously. The AP reports that when her accusations went public, the church denounced Khalil from the priesthood and made him stop using the name he received upon being ordained.

Still, a papal decree from Egypt reportedly indicated Khalil was defrocked back in 2014, but the reasons were not made clear. Disciplinary action was only listed as being necessary due to “his repeated infringements,” but whether these were other instances of sexual abuse allegations remains undetermined.

Reporting Sexual Abuse Difficult in Church Atmosphere

As with many religions, much of the Coptic Church’s handling of sexual abuse has been dealt with internally and without headlines, according to Samuel Tadros.

A senior fellow at Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, Tadros told the AP that Copts do not usually discuss delicate issues in the public realm. He said that any type of indiscretion would be addressed in secret.

As in other religions, Coptic priests are esteemed members of the church. Also not uncommon is the alleged culture of staying quiet about any victimization of followers. In fact, Coptic teachings purportedly emphasize forgiveness of sins rather than encouraging any type of reporting that would allow allegations to become public.

Coptic Church Faces Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

Closeup of woman holding cross necklace, hands folded over BibleAccording to court records, another young woman filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Coptic Church back in 2008.

Stephanie M. alleged that Isaac Sullivan, also known as Ishak Soliman, sexually assaulted her from 1999 to 2001. She said that at that time, she was aged 13 to 15 years old.

Court documents indicate she alleged the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate Diocese of the Southern United States, St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church and St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church were negligent for failing to prevent priests from sexually assaulting children. She further alleged that Sullivan was not properly supervised and that he was allowed to have unsupervised time with Stephanie M.

A 2009 court decision found the church was negligent, but that the statute of limitations had expired, but 2011 decision overturned that decision. That court case, Stephanie M. v. Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate Diocese of the Southern United States, et al., Case No. 14-10-00004, in the Court of Appeals of Texas-Houston, has yet to be finalized.

Helping Keep Youth Safe

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the U.S. and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline with the assistance of more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers.

RAINN offers assistance to prevent sexual violence, help survivors and make sure perpetrators of sexual violent attacks are held accountable in the justice system.

“Every 9 minutes, child protective services substantiates, or finds evidence for, a claim of child sexual abuse,” says RAINN.

Even though 82% of all victims under 18 are female, about 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 will be sexually abused by an adult.

In 93% of all child sexual abuse cases reported to law enforcement, the child knows the perpetrator.

Adults in general are usually seen as esteemed figures in the eyes of children, but adults in leadership roles who have secured the trust of other adults as well as fellow children are even more apt to have access to kids one-on-one. Reporting sexual abuse can be difficult for anyone, but especially for children, who may not understand what has happened to them.

When children are victims of sexual abuse, they are four times more apt to develop drug addiction, and are four times more likely to suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as adults. RAINN also reports child survivors of sexual abuse are three times more likely to suffer a major episode of depression when adults.

Join a Free Church Sex Abuse Lawsuit Investigation

If you or a loved one were a victim of religious sexual abuse, you may be able to take legal action against your perpetrator and others who turned a blind eye to the sexual abuse. Use the form on this page to submit information about your clergy sexual abuse.

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This article is not legal advice. It is presented
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