Burke Calls on Bishop Malone to Step Down

Erie County Legislator Pat Burke, the first Catholic elected official in Western New York to speak out on the sexual crisis in the Buffalo Diocese, is calling on Buffalo Bishop Richard J. Malone to Resign in the wake of ongoing stories of abuse and cover-ups in Western New York

"I believe we have only scratched the surface of the problem," said Burke. "In just the past several months, the story has grown from reports of a few isolated incidents, to reports that the local diocese knew about this issue for decades and intentionally hid the truth from parishioners and the public at large. Their silence perpetuated sexual crimes against children. If any other organization were responsible for conspiring to hide pedophiles among its ranks, the public would demand the immediate resignation of anyone in leadership. The time has come for Bishop Malone to step down. Our community needs a full accounting of what happened here."