New York Attorney General sues bishops Malone, Grosz and Buffalo Diocese for failing to protect children

BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW

November 23, 2020

By Charlie Specht

AG says diocese ‘engaged in cover-up’ of priests

New York State Attorney General Letitia James on Monday sued the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo and former bishops Richard J. Malone and Edward M. Grosz for failing to protect children and for engaging in a decades-long cover-up of sexual abuse by diocesan priests.

New York’s top prosecutor also filed a motion that seeks to force a full public disclosure of predatory priests and their actions against those whom they were entrusted with spiritual care, and is seeking a court-appointed monitor that would ensure that interim Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger complies with sexual abuse policies and procedures.

The state is also seeking to bar both Malone and Grosz — who resigned their positions last year after a Vatican investigation — from serving in secular fiduciary roles in any nonprofits or charitable organizations in New York State.

“When trust is broken with spiritual leaders, it can lead to a crisis of faith,” James said in a news release. “For years, the Diocese of Buffalo and its leadership failed to protect children from sexual abuse. Instead, they chose to protect the very priests who were credibly accused of these atrocious acts. Individuals who are victims of abuse deserve to have their claims timely investigated and determined, and the Buffalo Diocese refused to give them that chance.”

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