BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Diocese of Buffalo leaders are now speaking out about why parishes are being asked to contribute to the diocese’s $150 million settlement with more than 800 survivors of sexual abuse.
They held one-on-one interviews with members of the media on Wednesday at the Catholic Center in Downtown Buffalo to explain their side of the story. I talked with two top leaders at the diocese.
“I want to clearly state that the Catholic church can never sufficiently apologize for the devastation that was caused to victims of sexual abuse,” said Richard Suchan, the diocese’s chief operating officer.
WATCH: ‘None of this was pulled out of the sky’: Diocese of Buffalo responds to criticism over settlement
‘None of this was pulled out of the sky’: Diocese of Buffalo responds to criticism over settlement
I met with Suchan in person and by phone with Albert Gress, the diocese’s chief financial officer.
Bishop Michael Fisher is out of town, attending the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in San Diego, as the diocese is facing tough criticism after announcing last week that parishes must provide $80 million toward the $150 million settlement caused by the clergy sexual abuse scandal.
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“We must recognize that more than 50% of our parishes have claims, and with those claims, they have liability,” Suchan said. “One claim alone could bankrupt a parish.”
“They don’t believe that they should share in the blame for what happened, but you are telling me that if some of these parishes don’t, they will end up bankrupt themselves?” I asked.
“If individual litigation was to be pursued against that entity, that parish could cease to exist,” Suchan said.
Percentages range from 10 percent to 80 percent of parishes’ unrestricted cash and investments.
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Suchan told me, for those who say the priests “should bear” responsibility, he said a number of clergy members have voluntarily contributed to the settlement fund, but would not say how much.
“I cannot share that number,” Suchan responded.
Diocesan leaders defended what some say are disparities in the cost to parishes. For example, in Amherst, St. Benedict is required to pay more than $1.9 millionwhile St. Leo’s parish would pay $17,000.
“None of this was pulled out of the sky,” Suchan said. “The parishes all self-reported their assets. In the case of St. Leo’s as opposed to St. Benedict, there is a big difference in restricted assets.”
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“We reviewed what other dioceses throughout the country were doing,” Gress said.
The diocese is also hoping to generate revenue toward the settlement by selling properties from church closings, and confirmed that both St. Andrew’s in the town of Tonawanda and St. Lawrence in Buffalo have both sold.
The group, Save Our Buffalo Church, told me they believe this funding formula violates Canon Law, but the diocese leader said that’s false.
“We have researched this thoroughly, and we conclude that we are not violating any canons nor civil law in that process,” Suchan commented.
“We are letting each parish that is represented at every meeting be represented by two excellent lawyers,” Gress said. “Those parishes should be reaching out to those attorneys to get the proper opinion on this matter, and we are continuing to encourage that.”
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The diocese is asking the parishes to make those payments by July 15.
“What if they don’t pay?” I asked.
“If they don’t pay, we need to have some serious conversations, and we are having very serious conversations,” Suchan said.
“Would it lead to shuttering them as a parish or a worship site? I asked
“No,” Suchan replied.
The bankruptcy agreement still needs final approval by the bankruptcy court. Suchan told me that a hearing is expected in September.
