'What are they waiting for?': Whistleblowers look to Vatican as embattled Buffalo bishop clings to p
Source: ABC News
'What are they waiting for?': Whistleblowers look to Vatican as embattled Buffalo bishop clings to power
By PETE MADDEN and DAVID WRIGHT
Sep 6, 2019, 4:48 PM ET
A pair of whistleblowers are calling for the Vatican to act amid a growing scandal surrounding Bishop Richard Malone of the Diocese of Buffalo, who has faced widespread criticism for his handling of allegations of sexual misconduct against clergy.
The local crisis deepened this week with the emergence of secret audio recordings obtained by ABC News and its local affiliate WKBW. The recordings suggest Malone sought to conceal allegations that an active priest had sexually harassed a then-seminarian, even though Malone can be heard on the tapes describing the accused priest as a sick puppy and calling his alleged penchant for manipulation and retaliation dangerous.
Now two Buffalo whistleblowers (both of whom worked closely with Malone until they turned against him) and a group of prominent local Catholics (that had until recently been one of Malones major sources of support) are all looking to Rome for answers.
Siobhan OConnor, Malones former personal secretary who sparked a scandal last year when she leaked internal church documents to investigative reporter Charlie Specht from ABCs local affiliate WKBW, said Vatican interest in the beleaguered Diocese of Buffalo is long overdue.
"What are they waiting for?" OConnor told ABC News. "Our diocese is suffering because of the severe lack of episcopal leadership from Bishop Malone, which has manifested itself in many ways. I beseech Vatican officials to intervene before our diocese is decimated."
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Read more:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/waiting-whistleblowers-vatican-embattled-buffalo-bishop-clings-power/story?id=65439592