Buffalo Bishop Malone resigns following accusations that he mishandled sex abuse cases
Source: Washington Post
ROME The Vatican on Wednesday announced the resignation of Bishop Richard J. Malone, who stoked fury in his Buffalo diocese for the alleged mishandling of sexual abuse claims, and whose tenure became emblematic of the Catholic Churchs struggle to overcome its central crisis.
Under Malones watch, Buffalo had become perhaps the U.S. Churchs most scandal-tainted diocese. It faces an FBI probe and more than 200 lawsuits. Malone pledged to institute reforms, but he was instead battered by accusations of coverup and by embarrassing leaks. One whistleblower said she found a 300-page dossier on accused priests hidden away in a supply closet near a vacuum cleaner. In a short statement, the Vatican said that Malone would be replaced on a temporary basis by Albanys bishop, Edward Scharfenberger.
Malone, 73, is departing two years before the mandatory age at which bishops must offer their retirements to Pope Francis though many prelates stay on the job beyond the 75-year mark. The Vatican did not explain the reasons for Malones resignation. Malones case offers mixed signals about how the Vatican is dealing with bishops accused of negligence or coverup and whether changes drawn up by Francis will help the institution police its upper ranks.
The Vatican did not use a system, put in place by the pontiff earlier this year, that would have allowed the regions top bishop in this case, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York to open an investigation. Instead, in something of an ad hoc measure, the Vatican dispatched a different prelate, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, on a nonjudicial fact-finding mission to Buffalo. The Associated Press reported last month that DiMarzio himself is facing accusations of sexually abusing a child. DiMarzio denies the allegations.
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