Bishop of Buffalo Diocese Resigns

During the latter part of November, Richard J. Malone, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, resigned his position. His resignation comes after Pope Francis appointed Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio to conduct an investigation of the Buffalo Diocese. The investigation was prompted by whistleblower reports of Bishop Malone’s failure to disclose secret Diocesan files detailing reports of child sexual abuse by priests serving the Buffalo Diocese.

Commonly referred to as sub secreto and specifically condoned by Roman Catholic Canons that govern the Church’s internal operations, the files reportedly encompassed child sexual abuse allegations received by over 100 priests — a number in stark contrast to the names of 42 priests identified on a list of “credibly accused” priests released by Bishop Malone in 2018.

Brooklyn Bishop DiMarzio apparently delivered a report of his investigation to Pope Francis in mid–November. Shortly thereafter, Bishop Malone submitted his resignation which has been accepted by the Pope. The Buffalo Diocese serves approximately 600,000 Catholics and is one of the largest in the northeastern United States.