BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW TV
April 10, 2019
By Charlie Specht
Bishop Richard J. Malone in a recent interview called for Catholics “to see where we’ve failed, turn to God for forgiveness and mercy, and move on.”
But a group of influential Catholics at Canisius College say there’s no moving on until the diocese comes clean about the true scope of abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo.
“We’re in some senses maybe dying a death of a thousand cuts,” said Canisius College President John J. Hurley. “And wouldn’t it be better if we could just flush this all out in the open and we would know what we’re dealing with?”
Hurley’s group — the Movement to Restore Trust — has good reason to be concerned, documents show.
That’s because internal church records obtained by the 7 Eyewitness News I-Team show the scope of abuse is much larger than the public has been led to believe — even with 121 members of the clergy already accused of sex abuse or misconduct.
Diocese of Buffalo – 6.27.2018 Review Board Agenda (Text)
The June 27, 2018 agenda of the Diocesan Review Board – a group of clergy and lay people who review abuse claims for the church — is jam-packed with allegations reported to the diocese by 138 victims.
Perhaps most shocking: the names and allegations against 25 accused priests – including one recently active in the diocese – are still being shielded from the public.
“People are… they’re shell-shocked and weary from this, saying, ‘Enough is enough,’” Hurley said. “Let’s know that we’ve got complete disclosure here and that we’re not going to see another round of this.”
That’s why Hurley’s group is pushing the diocese for a fuller accounting of accused priests. Currently, the diocese does not list any priests who were accused by one victim after their deaths, whereas the Archdiocese of Boston, for example, lists those priest names but is clear with the public about what it does and does not know about the allegations.
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