BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW
November 4, 2018
By Charlie Spech
Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone made a statement Friday during his interview with WBEN radio that is now being called into question.
WBEN host David Bellavia asked the Bishop, “Are there any priests currently under your command, that have any allegations of any sort of assault against children?” Malone responded by stating: “Not that I know of.”
It now appears that statement may not be totally accurate because Msgr. Fred Leising, one of the accused priests, was saying Mass as recently as Saturday. The other accused priest was actively ministering as a pastor.
In an interview with 7 Eyewitness News on Saturday night, Msgr. Leising denied the allegation that he stuck his tongue down the throat of a teenage girl in the 1980s. But he said the diocese has known about the allegation for months and is only suspending him now in a desperate attempt at damage control.
“Yes, actually I had a funeral this morning at Nativity, where I used to be the pastor for 12 years,” Msgr. Leising told 7 Eyewitness News. “I had gotten a call from Bishop Grosz this morning telling me I was going to be put on administrative leave.”
Msgr. Leising, the former president-rector of Christ the King Seminary, says he met with Bishop Grosz about the situation months ago. Internal documents obtained by 7 Eyewitness News show the diocese knew of the allegation since April. Leising said Bishop Malone finally suspended him now – six months later – after consulting with his attorneys.
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