Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley wants Vatican officials to read a series of investigative reports chronicling alleged mismanagement in the Diocese of Buffalo, where Bishop Richard Malone, a former auxiliary bishop in Boston, is facing calls to step down over his handling cases of clergy sexual abuse.
From Twitter
An investigative reporter for WKBW, Charlie Specht, sent his three-part series about Bishop Malone to Cardinal O’Malley, who heads the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.
Those reports contend that Bishop Malone did not take seriously allegations of impropriety made against two priests and that he allowed them to stay in ministry. The bishop is also accused of not being forthcoming about the number of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. The diocese initially reported the number to be 42, but it may be higher than 100.
Mr. Specht received a reply to his inquiry from a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston, who said the cardinal is “deeply concerned by the absence of recognition of the abuse experienced by the survivors and the responses or absence of response provided to survivors.”
It is the Cardinal’s assessment that the information in your reports should be reviewed by the Church authorities who have oversight and jurisdiction for the action or inaction of diocesan leadership in Buffalo with regard to the reports of abuse,” Terrence C. Donilon wrote to Mr. Spect, who posted the email on his Twitter account.
“For those reasons, Cardinal O’Malley will send the documentation of your reports” to the apostolic nuncio to the United States, Mr. Donilon wrote.
The Deacon's Bench
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