BUFFALO (NY)
West Seneca Bee
Sept. 11, 2019
By Alan Rizzo and Taylor Nigrelli
Lawyers, local politicians and Catholic parishioners from around the region are calling for the resignation of Bishop Richard Malone, in the wake of an increasing number of Child Victims Act lawsuits against priests from the Diocese of Buffalo, as well as his handling of the growing scandal.
On Sept. 4, attorneys Jeff Anderson and Steve Boyd, both of whom are representing child sexual abuse survivors in Child Victims Act lawsuits filed against the diocese, called for Bishop Malone’s resignation after news that he had discussed his possible resignation with diocesan officials in the wake of a scandal regarding Christ the King Seminary and claims of sexual harassment by the Rev. Jeffrey Nowak, a diocesan priest.
Anderson and Boyd criticized Bishop Malone for continuing to “deflect, deny and disparage” accusations of clergy sexual misconduct.
“Truth is simple,” Anderson said. “Deception, denial and prevarication are complex. Bishop Malone is a master at it.”
According to the attorneys, during a recent press conference on the scandal Bishop Malone was less concerned with the damaging content of the recordings referencing Rev. Nowak’s behavior and more concerned that a diocesan official had recorded conversations about the scandal — including the resignation discussion and one in which he had called Rev. Nowak a “sick puppy.”
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