BUFFALO, N.Y. - Bishop Malone held a news conference for the first time in several months at Infant of Prague Church in Cheektowaga. This follows a meeting with priests and deacons from the diocese.
A priest leaving the meeting said Bishop Malone was willing to listen to those who were on hand and several asked for the Bishop to resign. During the press conference, Malone said he has no plans to resign. "A resignation does not bring stability," he said.
Bishop Malone started the news conference by addressing the large numbers of people who have come forward, saying they were abused by a priest.
"The numbers were overwhelming'" said Bishop Malone. "The word tsunami is not inappropriate."
Bishop Malone released an updated list of priests accused of abuse.
Bishop Malone said during the question and answer period of the press conference that the updated list would have been released, no matter what and that they had been 'pondering' releasing the list for a while. He says the list is a work in progress.
Bishop Malone says he wants to resolve the cases involving priests who have been under investigation for months. "We can not sacrifice the truth for speed," he said.
An attorney for the diocese said 191 new claims have come in regarding priest allegations. He explained to the media how the reporting process works.
The news conference comes one day after the Bishop told Two On Your Side's Maryalice Demler that bankruptcy is a possibility for the diocese as they handle claims of abuse.
On Saturday, the diocese placed two more priests on leave, leading to more calls for the diocese to release an updated list of priests accused of abuse.
It was just over a week ago when Bishop Malone's former executive assistant appeared on 60 Minutes to discuss how the priest abuse scandal in the diocese was bigger than diocese officials had acknowledged. Siobhan O'Connor left her position with the diocese and has been cooperating with the FBI as they look into the scandal. WGRZ has reported that the FBI was spotted on the property of St. Mary's in Swomrville as they investigate.