BUFFALO, NY – One day after the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo announced the new steps he would take to deal with allegations of sex abuse by members of the clergy, basic details surrounding them remain scant.
Bishop Richard Malone announced those steps on Sunday, amid a growing call from some parishioners (and even a U.S. Congress member) for Malone to step down.
"I hear your concerns, I understand them, I share them," said Malone, who admitted he made mistakes in handling sex abuse claims against local priests, and promised to do better.
Malone announced plans to set up a new office of professional responsibility to oversee enforcement of the diocese code of ethics, and the establishment of a task force to review how the diocese handles allegations of sexual misconduct regarding adult victims.
However, Malone left his Sunday news conference without taking questions.
On Monday a diocesan spokesperson, when asked when the task force might be formed AND specifically who might serve on it, only offered that such details are still being worked out.
Malone also pledged that the diocese will fully cooperate with any investigation started by either the New York State Attorney General's Office or the Erie County District Attorney's Office.
“The shepherd does not desert the flock at a difficult time,” said Malone on Sunday, in announcing that he has no plans to resign.
In truth, there's only one person who can effectively remove the bishop and he lives in Rome.
But even there, Popes traditionally don't "fire" Bishops. In prior cases, bishops- almost exclusively- have been "talked" into resigning and rare has been the case, upon the Pontiff’s suggestion that they do so, of any bishop refusing to step down.
One example of this involved Cardinal Bernard Law, who resigned as archbishop of Boston after he failed to protect children from abusive priests, which was a criticism similar to those being made against Bishop Malone.
However, according to religious scholars, even before a pope would become directly involved, the Vatican would send a group of foreign cardinals to investigate.
And even if it such an investigation were to lead to a bishop’s resignation, you’d be hard pressed to learn the details, as the process usually involves a confidential report to Rome, which isn't shared with the diocese, or even the bishop in question.