Catholic Diocese of Buffalo

A former priest who now leads an agency advocating for victims of  sexual abuse is criticizing the system by which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo processed and compensated abuse cases.

Ash Wednesday, which opens the solemn Christian season of Lent, is a period of time during which faithful examine their own selves, sometimes commit to sacrifices such as giving up an indulgence and seek spiritual cleansing. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, acknowledging its clergy sexual abuse scandal, is marking Ash Wednesday 2019 as the start of a year-long prayer of healing for church abuse victims and the church itself.

Hundreds of Catholic young people turned out over the weekend for the annual Youth Convention, this year carrying the theme "Power Up."

Buffalo's Catholic Bishop Richard Malone addressed the media in a lengthy press conference following a meeting with priests from across the Diocese. He spoke on the scandal over sexual abuse by members of the clergy, and calls for his resignation over handling of the matter.

Bishop Richard Malone says he made mistakes in handling accusations of sexual abuse by clergy but those errors were not to a level that calls for his resignation. Hours before Malone's remarks to a local radio station, a group of Catholic lay persons stood outside the Diocese of Buffalo's downtown headquarters, renewing the call for change in local church leadership.

Victims of sexual abuse by clergy and those with information about such cases are being encouraged to contact a hotline or file an online complaint form. Those options were announced Thursday by the New York State Attorney General, who has also reportedly issued subpoenas to every diocese within the state, including the Diocese of Buffalo, seeking more information on abuse.

The leader of Canisius College in Buffalo is condemning the Catholic Church in wake of the priest sexual abuse scandal.  WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley met Canisius President John Hurley in his office where he is calling on the Catholic Church to allow women to play a role in restoring faith in the church.

Bishop Richard Malone and the Diocese of Buffalo are named as defendants in a lawsuit filed Thursday morning. The plaintiff is a sexual abuse survivor who alleges the bishop and diocese pose a "public nuisance" by continuing to withhold information on dozens of past child sexual abuse claims.

Three local elected officials - as well as a local Catholic deacon - called Friday for the resignation of Bishop Richard Malone, in response to how the Diocese of Buffalo has handled sex abuse claims.

The advocacy group representing numerous victims of alleged sexual abuse by local clergy or members of religious orders is again calling on state lawmakers to pass the Child Victim Act. They stood outside an Amherst Catholic school where, one woman alleges, she was subject to a mix of verbal, emotional and sexual abuse in 1955.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo on Monday announced it has placed a priest on administrative leave, one day after a published report revealed that priest had been accused in 1995 of sexually abusing a then teenaged girl. Meanwhile, a New Jersey-based advocacy group representing victims of alleged past abuse turned up pressure on Bishop Richard Malone, demanding he release all information on abuse cases or step down.

While recognizing the tragic circumstances which led to the development, leaders in the City of Buffalo say Bishop Richard Malone's choice to move into the St. Stanislaus parish demonstrates a vote of confidence in the turnaround of the long-struggling Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.

Upon releasing a report identifying 13 priests already known for accusations of sexual abuse, an attorney and former priest-turned-advocate urged the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo Tuesday morning to end its policy of withholding the names of other clergy who allegedly carried out such conduct.

It was built and opened in 1886 by German immigrants but closed five years ago as one of many mergers by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo. The group Friends of St. Ann Church and Shrine are urging diocesan leaders to reopen a church they say would be a good fit in a redeveloping Buffalo neighborhood.

The push is being renewed to pass legislation in Albany that would allow childhood sexual abuse victims to file lawsuits for incidents that happened decades ago. A  Western New York man who says he was molested by a local priest while he was 14 years old went public with his story for the first time Tuesday.

The leader of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo is making special accommodations for a Confirmation Mass that is at the same time as the Buffalo Bills playoff game. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley says Bishop Richard Malone has added an earlier Confirmation at Nativity of Our Lord Church in Orchard Park.

Catholic Bishops across New York State are urging Catholics to vote in this November's elections, but they are asking students to make sure their parents are registered to vote. WBFO's senior reporter Eileen Buckley reports the leader of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo met with 8th grade students at Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament School in Depew Wednesday.

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo has launched an ambitious $100 million capital and endowment campaign. The campaign, dubbed Upon This Rock, was kicked off at Cardinal O'Hara High School in Tonawanda Thursday morning.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany recently took a stand to scale back on the number of Common Core tests it will administer. But as WBFO's Focus on Education Reporter Eileen Buckley tells us the Diocese of Buffalo has no plans to cut back.