BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News
March 16, 2018
By Dan Herbeck and Jay Tokasz
Three men have told The Buffalo News they were sexually abused as boys by the Rev. Donald W. Becker, a Catholic priest removed from the ministry in 2003.
On Friday, a spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo told The News that Becker was barred from performing priestly duties then because of sexual abuse allegations against him.
Bishop Richard J. Malone made a similar statement Friday to a reporter from WKBW television news station.
But Becker, now 75 and living in Florida, denied the allegations.
“No, I did not,” Becker told The News, when asked if he had ever molested children. “Certainly not sexual…This is quite shocking.”
Becker’s three accusers said the priest molested them after getting them drunk. Two of the men told The News they were in their teens when they were molested, and the third said he was 10 or 11 years old. One said he recently received a financial settlement from the diocese. Another said the diocese agreed to pay for his psychological counseling, his medical care and his medications after he made a complaint against Becker more than a year ago.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.