BUFFALO (NY)
Buffalo News
Dec. 10, 2019
By Jay Tokasz
Readers posed many questions about Bishop Richard J. Malone after the Buffalo Diocese leader resigned under pressure for his handling of a clergy sexual abuse scandal in the diocese.
Buffalo News reporter Jay Tokasz has covered the crisis since it began 22 months ago, when a retired priest, the Rev. Norbert Orsolits, admitted to him that he had sexually abused “probably dozens” of boys during his career.
Below are some readers’ questions following Malone’s resignation on Dec. 4 and Tokasz’s answers to them.
Yvonne Haymes: Shouldn’t get any “retirement” benefits!
Bonnie Pauly Serwacki: He’s taking a early retirement. Big difference. A big retirement package coming his way.
What benefits can Malone expect to receive as bishop emeritus of Buffalo?
Answer: Bishop Emeritus Richard J. Malone will receive at least $1,900 per month in stipend and pension benefits, according to guidelines set forth in 2010 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The actual stipend amount could be more in 2019, because $1,900 per month was to be adjusted annually according to local cost of living increases, the guidelines said. In addition to the stipend, the USCCB guidelines recommend that a bishop emeritus receive “appropriate housing and board” within the diocese where he last served. The housing should include the use of a private chapel and housekeeping assistance, the guidelines recommended. And if the bishop emeritus chooses to live outside of the diocese where he last served, that diocese is still obligated to pay for appropriate housing and board.
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