BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News
October 25, 2018
By Jay Tokasz
Bishop Richard J. Malone’s former administrative assistant acknowledged Thursday that she was the source of leaked internal Diocese of Buffalo documents showing how Malone and diocesan lawyers handled allegations of clergy sexual misconduct.
Siobhan O’Connor, who worked in the diocesan chancery from 2015 until this past August, said in a statement to WKBW-TV that her conscience compelled her to take action.
“As a faithful Catholic, I could not abide by what I witnessed at the chancery,” she said. “As a whistleblower, my heart is heavy but my soul is at peace.”
Documents she provided to WKBW-TV helped show that Malone had allowed two priests accused of inappropriate conduct to remain in ministry, even as the bishop maintained publicly that he was not covering up for abusive priests.
O’Connor said she also provided documents to 60 Minutes, the CBS news magazine show, which is scheduled to broadcast a story on Sunday focusing on clergy sex abuse in the Buffalo Diocese.
The leaks to WKBW-TV followed many months of media scrutiny of the diocese’s handling of clergy sexual abuse and escalated a growing crisis in the diocese. The scandal erupted after retired Rev. Norbert Orsolits admitted to The Buffalo News in February that he had molested “probably dozens” of boys.
Following Orsolits’ admission, O’Connor fielded many calls to the bishop’s office from childhood victims of clergy abuse, and in May she wrote about her experiences in an opinion column in The Buffalo News. She called it an “immense privilege” to speak with victims and urged “compassionate support” for them.
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