Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany, whom Pope Francis appointed with oversight of the scandal-ridden Diocese of Buffalo until a new bishop is selected, has come under fire for concelebrating Mass Feb. 24 with priests credibly accused of sexual abuse. The invitation-only event for priests, held at St. Leo the Great Catholic Parish in Amherst and … Read more
The scandalous allegations that have engulfed the Diocese of Buffalo — and especially its center for forming priests, Christ the King Seminary — is sufficiently grave that it triggered a Vatican decision in September to authorize an apostolic visitation of the Diocese of Buffalo. Now, as Catholics in Buffalo and elsewhere in the U.S. await … Read more
On her travels across the country, Sherry Weddell asks highly engaged, practicing Catholics this important question: “Where’s Jesus right now?” The top answers vary from “He’s in my heart” to “Well, where two or three are gathered.” But the Forming Intentional Disciples author said while they could recognize Jesus as present in the poor and others, “The … Read more
Charlie Specht, a Catholic award-winning journalist, discusses the findings of his reporting about the wave of scandalous allegations now enveloping the Diocese of Buffalo. Charlie, for more than a year you’ve been covering quite a few scandals within the Diocese of Buffalo. Can you tell people what is going on? It’s really been kind of a perfect storm … Read more
Sexual double lives among the clergy and failures in celibacy formation are among key factors that make priests-to-be vulnerable. Catholic seminarians and priests are breaking their silence about their experiences of sexual abuse or harassment after revelations that ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick reportedly sexually preyed upon seminarians and young priests for decades without any impediment. And, … Read more
Amid the raw anger over the cover-ups for ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick’s alleged sexual abuse, bishops and lay faithful are calling for independent investigations, saying the credibility of the U.S. episcopate has been shattered. Both clergy and lay leaders are calling for laypeople, independent of the Church’s structure, to be empowered to help root out corruption … Read more