As the Diocese of Buffalo bankruptcy case stumbles along to a conclusion many Catholics are unhappy that parishes with large congregations and active ministries are slated for closure because of their value on the real estate market. They also are upset because contributions faithfully placed in the collection basket at Sunday Mass along with monies raised at fundraising events they worked at and contributed to are being demanded from parishes to pay settlements to victims of crimes they had no part in — perpetrated by men they were told they could trust.

Currently a lawsuit has been filed by five parishes targeted for closure or merger that includes Blessed Sacrament in the town of Tonawanda, Our Lady of Peace in Clarence, St. Bernadette in Orchard Park, St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga and St. John XXIII in West Seneca from being forced to contribute 80% of their unrestricted savings toward the settlement fund. The seven plaintiffs’ attorneys, James Myers and John Flagerty, want the judge in the case to intervene and allow time for the Vatican to either uphold or overturn Bishop Michael Fisher’s decree that the parishes be merged.

Also, a second lawsuit has been filed filed by five parishioners from four other parishes that include All Saints Parish in Lockport, Holy Apostles Parish in Jamestown, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta in Depew, Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and Diocesan Shrine in Bowmansville.  Many observers of the Diocese of Buffalo’s handling of the settlement criticize its approach for several reasons. The diocese has spent at least $100,000 on legal fees fighting the release of internal documents subpoenaed by the New York State Attorney General that other dioceses turned over without a fight.

In a separate case, the diocese spent more than $30,000 in a failed attempt to keep transcripts of sworn testimony by former bishops private. These fees spent fighting the release of documents are in addition to the extensive costs incurred during the diocese’s 2020 bankruptcy filing.  As of late June, the diocese’s total legal and professional fees had reached over $17 million.

Further expenses incurred include more than $400,000 paid to the Maryland-based public relations firm The Tucker Group noted for its handling of crises situations. It was also reported that the diocese was paying the firm’s head, Gregory Tucker, $10,000 per month. Also the Diocese paid James Beardi, the chair of the Diocesan Finance Council, $236,000 in consulting fees during its bankruptcy, according to a 2024 WGRZ-TV report. Beardi is a retired M&T Bank executive. 

It is also apparent that from the beginning the diocese was not fully transparent in its dealing with abuse cases and apparently concealed and inadequately investigated allegations of sexual misconduct against priests, employing tactics such as false medical leaves and voluntary retirement to shield accused priests.

Critics also argue the diocese should have been more open and cooperative with victims and those representing victims. Further, the diocese has been criticized for utilizing delaying tactics such as engaging in “insurance archaeology” or protracted searches for old insurance policies and the slowed processing of claims seen by some as a means of delaying and minimizing payouts to victims of abuse.

Certainly, the victims of abuse deserve some sort of recompense for the abuse they suffered but why is so much of the burden placed on parishioners who were completely innocent. The question that many Catholics have today is why abusers were moved from parish to parish like pieces on a chessboard. The obvious answer is a succession of bishops in the diocese felt it was more important to protect abusing priests and the diocese from public scrutiny and censure than to protect the young victims.

Why didn’t the Diocese turn over abusing priests to local police for investigation? In the case of the Buffalo Police Department, officers followed a policy of not investigating allegations of sexual misconduct by Catholic priests but turned over complaints about priests to church officials to deal with internally, a service not afforded to clergy of other faiths. I suspect that this policy came about because during the 20th century, nearly 63% of Buffalo’s population was Catholic.

While the Buffalo Police Department keeps no records of its officers religious affiliation it is almost a certainty that the many officers were Catholic who were conditioned like other Catholics to believe what Catholic Clergy told them.It was only in 2003 that the Diocese signed an agreement with Western New York district attorneys to report any allegations against priests involved in sexual misconduct with minors.

Currently the new deadline for the Diocese to file its disclosure statement and reorganization plan has been moved from Sept. 1 to Oct. 1. As that date approaches there is little doubt that the diocese needs parish assessments to close out the bankruptcy case but those assessments along with the closure of parishes have placed the Diocese and many lay Catholics in an adversarial relationship that would have been unheard of even 20 years ago.

Now, nearly 180 years after its formation, it is sad that the Diocese of Buffalo has come to this.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com.