BUFFALO (NY)
WBFO
January 15, 2021
By Michael Mroziak
While wishing new Diocese of Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher success in his new role, a former priest turned advocate for clergy sex abuse victims says Fisher’s selection is clouded by the involvement of a former superior, who stepped down from a powerful position within the US Catholic Church amid his own accusations of covering up abuse cases.
Fisher, before coming to Buffalo, served as auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC under Cardinal Donald Wuerl. The latter was among numerous current and former US church leaders present for Fisher’s Installation Mass Friday at St. Joseph’s Cathedral.
Wuerl was named in a scathing 2018 grand jury report looking into clergy sex abuse cases in Pennsylvania, facing accusations of covering alleged incidents up. He stepped down from his role leading the Archdiocese of Washington, DC in 2019. Fisher, meanwhile, has not been accused of any wrongdoing nor has he been accused of participating in cover-ups.
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