DIOCESE
DIOCESE FOR SO MANY YEARS BEFORE WE UNDERSTOOD THE
SCOPE OF IT TODAY?"
"I HAVE THE SAME
QUESTION AS YOU DO. I
WOULD LIKE TO KNOW
WHY TOO... BUT... I WANT
TO FOCUS ON WHAT WE
CAN DO NOW. I CAN'T
HELP... GOING
FORWARD... BY
RUMINATING AND
SPECULATING AS TOP
WHY CERTAIN ACTIONS
WERE OR WERE NOT
TAKEN IN YEARS PAST. I
DON'T THINK THAT
PRODUCTIVE RIGHT
NOW. MAYBE WE CAN
GET SOME
INVESTIGATORS TO DO
THAT."
THAT."
THAT." ONE OF THE PEOPLE
WE'VE HEARD FROM FREQUENTLY THROUGH
THIS CRISIS IN THE
CHURCH -- HAS BEEN
DEACON PAUL SNYDER.
HE'S WAS ONE OF THE
FIRST CHURCH
LEADERS TO CALL FOR
FORMER BISHOP
RICHARD MALONE TO
RESIGN.
HE SAID TODAY... HE
DOESN'T THINK THE
VICTIMS ARE BEING
INCLUDED ENOUGH IN
THIS PROCESS.
AND HE PUT THE
SITUATION IN STARK
PERSPECTIVE... WHEN
HE SPOKE WITH OUR
SCOTT LEVIN THIS
AFTERNOON.
AFTERNOON. "THIS DAY IS THE WORST
DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE DIOCESE OF
BUFFALO. THIS IS THE
DAY WHERE
GENERATIONS OF
BUFFALONIAN FAMILIES
WHO POURED THEIR
BLOOD, SWEAT, TEARS,
TREASURE TIME AND
PRAYERS HAVE SEEN
ALL OF THAT WORK
ESSENTIALLY WASHED
AWAY BECAUSE A
GROUP OF PREDATORY
PRIESTS AND CORRUPT
BISHOPS RUINED IT."
"I FEEL LIKE A PERSON
WHO'S STANDING OUT IN
FRONT OF HIS HOME
THAT'S BEEN BURNED
DOWN BY AN ARSONIST.
AND THE ARSONIST IS
COMING BACK TO TELL
ME HE'S GOING TO TELL
ME HOW TO REBUILD MY
HOUSE. I THINK EVERY
PRIEST, I THINK EVERY
SINGLE ADMINISTRATOR
THAT WAS INVOLVED IN
THE DIOCESE DURING
THIS CORRUPT SCANDAL
SHOULD HAVE
SUBMITTED THEIR
RESIGNATIONS TODAY
ALONG WITH THE
WORST DAY IN THE
HISTORY OF THE
DIOCESE OF BUFFALO."
BISHOP
BISHOP SCHARFENBERGER WAS STILL IN BUFFALO
THIS EVENING... TO
GIVE AN ADDRESS AT
THE ANNUAL CATHOLIC
YOUTH CONVENTION.
WE WANTED TO KNOW
HIS REACTION TO
DEACON SNYDER'S
COMMENTS.
COMMENTS.
"I
"I HAVE
"I HAVE ANOTHER VIEW. THIS IS OUR FUTURE. I SEE THE YOUNG PEOPLE
HERE TODAY AND I SEE
NOTHING BUT HOPE AND
HAPPINESS FOR A
FUTURE, SO IF THAT'S
THE CASE RIGHT NOW
WHERE EVERYTHING IS
GOING TO CRASH AND
BURN, THEN WE'RE
GONNA BUILD AGAIN.
AND THIS IS WHERE IT
STARTS."
STARTS."
"MAD:
"MAD: JOINING ME NOW IS JOHN HURLEY. HE IS THE PRESIDENT OF
CANISIUS COLLEGE AND
ALSO ONE OF THE
LEADERS OF THE
MOVEMENT TO RESTORE
TRUST - A GROUP OF
LEITY IN THE CATHOLIC
DIOCESE CONCERNED
ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY
AND TRANSPARENCY.
JOHN, AFTER TODAY'S
NEWS CONFERENCE,
THERE WAS A STRONG
MESSAGE TO
PARISHIONERS ABOUT
DONATIONS THAT THEY
MAKE IN THEIR
PARISHES. HOW SHOULD
PARISHIONERS BE
FEELING TODAY ABOUT
WHAT THEY'VE HEARD?
HURLEY: WELL, THEY
SHOULD BE ASSURED BY
THE BISHOP'S MESSAGE
AND IT'S A MATTER OF
LAW THAT THE PARISHES
ARE SEPARATELY
INCORPORATED AND
THAT THE MONEY THAT
PEOPLE ARE
CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR
PARISH STAYS IN THE
PARISH. BUT THE BISHOP
WAS EMPHATIC ABOUT
THAT TODAY, THAT NO
DOLLARS THAT ARE
BEING COLLECTED IN
CHURCHES ARE GOING
TO SETTLE THE CLAIMS
AGAINST THE DIOCESE.
MAD: TALK ABOUT
PARISHIONERS TODAY
AND HOW THEY SHOULD
FEEL GOING FORWARD
IN THE TOPIC OF
TRANSPARENCY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY,
BECAUSE THAT'S
OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING
THAT HAS BEEN LACKING
IN THE PAST?
HURLEY: WELL YOU
KNOW, SINCE WE HAVE
FORMED THE
MOVEMENT TO RESTORE
TRUST BACK IN THE FALL
OF '18, THAT'S BEEN OUR
PRIMARY, ONE OF OUR
PRIMARY CONCERNS, IS
THAT THE FAITHFUL OF
THE DIOCESE NEED TO
KNOW THAT WE'RE
FINALLY AT THE BOTTOM
OF ALL THIS, THAT WE'VE
GOTTEN EVERYTHING
OUT AND THAT WE
KNOW WHAT WE'RE
DEALING WITH. SO, I
WOULDN'T SAY THAT
WE'RE THERE TODAY.
BUT, WE'RE NOW IN A
PROCESS THAT I THINK
CAN LEAD THERE. AND
I'VE HEARD A LOT OF
PEOPLE EXPRESS
SCEPTICISM ABOUT THE
FILING OF A BANRUPTCY
CASE, SAYING THAT,
'WELL, THIS IS ONE
MORE ATTEMPT TO HIDE
THINGS OR COVER UP
THINGS.' THERE ARE UH,
SEVERAL TYPES OF
DISCOVERY
MECHANISMS THAT ARE
AVAILABLE UNDER THE
BANKRUPTCY CODE TO
MAKE SURE THAT THE
VICTIMS OF SEX ABUSE
AND ALSO THE FAITHFUL
IN THE DIOCESE KNOW
THAT EVERYTHING HAD
FINALLY, BEEN FULLY
DISCLOSED.
MAD: A COMPLICATED,
FINCANICALLY AND ALSO
EMOTIONALLY FOR SO
MANY CATHOLICS. WE
APPRECIATE YOUR TIME
AND I"M SURE WE CAN
EXPECT THAT
PARISHIONERS WILL BE
HEARING A LOT MORE
FROM THE PULPIT IN
THEIR PARISHES IN THE
DAYS TO COME.
HURLEY: I UNDERSTAND
THAT THERE IS A
MESSAGE FROM THE
BISHOP THAT IS GOING
TO BE DELIVERED IN
PARISHES THIS
WEEKEND AND SO,
THERE IS A
COMMUNICATION
STRATEGY TO BEGIN TO
ADDRESS ALL OF THE
QUESTIONS THAT ARE
NATURALLY ON THE
MINDS OF THE FAITHFUL
AND THE CREDITORS OF
THE DIOCESE.
MAD: VERY GOOD. AND
WE'LL CONTINUE TO ASK
THOSE QUESTIONS
HERE AS WELL. JOHN,
THANK YOU FOR JOINING
US.
HURLEY: THANK YOU."
ANOTHER
ANOTHER QUESTION THAT NOW SURFACES... HOW ARE THOSE WHO
FILED SUIT UNDER THE
CHILD VICTIMS ACT
GOING TO BE
COMPENSATED?
THERE ARE 258
UNSETTLED CASES
AGAINST THE DIOCESE
RIGHT NOW... AND
HUNDREDS MORE ARE
EXPECTED.
ATTORNEY STEVE BOYD
REPRESENTS MANY
ABUSE VICTIMS... AND
SAYS WHILE A
BANKRUPTCY MAY
MAKE SURE CREDIBLE
CLAIMS WILL RECEIVE
SOME COMPENSATION...
IT COULD ALSO ROB
MANY OF THEM OF
THEIR TRUE DESIRE...
TO EXPOSE THE TRUTH
OF WHAT HAPPENED TO
THEM.
THEM.
"THIS
"THIS ISN'T ALL JUST ABOUT MONEY. AND WHAT THE DIOCESE HAS
DONE IN THIS ACTION, IS
THEY'RE GONNA CUT
OFF DISCOVERY AS BEST
THEY CAN. WE'RE STILL
GONNA FIGHT OVER
THAT. AND TURN IT INTO
A FINANCIAL
TRANSACTION. AND IT'S
NOT A VERY... WELL, IT'S
NOT A VERY CHURCH-
LIKE WAY TO APOLOGIZE
TO PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE
HURT."
BOYD BELIEVES THAT--
BASED ON PRIOR
CHURCH
BANKRUPTCIES...
CHURCH BANKRUPTCIES... THERE SHOULD BE
PLENTY OF MONEY--
FROM INSURANCE
POLICIES HELD BY THE
CHURCH-- TO
COMPENSATE VICTIMS.
COMPENSATE VICTIMS. OUR COVERAGE OF
THIS MAJOR STORY DOESN'T STOP THERE.
WE'VE GOT THE LATEST
ON W-G-R-Z DOT COM
AND OUR MOBILE APP--
INCLUDING MORE OF
THE BISHOP'S NEWS
CONFERENCE... OUR
FULL INTERVIEWS WITH
PAUL SNYDER AND
JOHN HURLEY... THE
DETAILS OF THE
BANKRUPTCY FILING...
AND MORE.
AND MORE.