Speaking truth to power “will likely come at a cost to me personally,” Deacon Paul Snyder wrote to his bishop in 2018. “However, my first loyalty is to my Catholic faith and my Community,” [not the bishop]. That was the gist of his letter calling for Bishop Richard Malone’s resignation 29 months ago. It was one of the first significant shots over the bow that led to today’s (January 15, 2021) installation of Buffalo’s new bishop, Most Rev. Michael W. Fisher, “to begin the long and painful process of healing,” as Deacon Snyder put it.
His letter to Bishop Malone is copied below along with the CBS news video covering his 2018 60 Minutes interview in which he stated:
I don’t have faith right now that any particular bishops have the courage to do the right thing. We all praise our martyrs on Sunday, and we praise and we sing. But boy it sure as Hell is hard being a saint when it’s your ass on the line. And I want these cardinals and these bishops to put their ass on the line, and start protecting their people.”
These frank words are an important reminder today that merely changing out a single leadership position won’t eradicate the corrupt culture that allowed the clergy sexual abuse crisis to flourish in the Diocese of Buffalo. We need leaders willing to make decisions “at great cost to them personally,” putting their Catholic faith and their Community ahead of their career.
Let us pray fervently for our new bishop. May we suggest a Rosary a day? Or 33 Days Consecration to St. Joseph?
I have been wanting to write to this bishop since I knew he was coming but I didn’t have an email address. I know he probably won’t see this, but you guys will.
I just want the new “bishops not to be like all the rest. As most of you know, I am not a victim survivor, but I know a few people that are and I love them and am sick of them not getting the help and support from the Catholic Church. Since all this scam came out in the last couple of years, I hav been a different person and not in a good way.
Since I found out that this abuse happened to someone I know, respect and love, I can’t even walk in a Catholic Church. I don’t know who I am anymore or even know what I believe anymore.
I can’t call this bishop my bishop or our bishop until I see if he’s any different from the other bishops who only care about themselves and each other. They don’t care about their people, I pray this one does.
I know there is so much to do for us to ever have trust in the Catholic Church again. But here’s the first thing that should be done to show us that he is a real Bishop who cares about his people.
First thing is to put Father Ryszard S. Biernat back into service in the church. He is the hero of the DOB and Malone has had him barred from all service in the Catholic Church for over a year. Not only is this priest a victim survivor, he is the one that gave everything up to let all the truth out and stand up to power and told everything he knew about the DOB because he cared about his people, not himself. And for telling the truth he got punished from that sick bishop Malone and Grosz. Father Ryszard is a true priest who answered God’s call and did what Jesus would have done. This victim-survivor priest has suffered enough. And it is time for someone to do the right thing for him! Please, enough is enough!
Then there is all the victim survivors who need to be heard and believed and given whatever they need to start to heal and find peace. Their lives have been ruined for so long. Their abusers and enablers must be held accountable!
I used to be proud of being Catholic. Not anymore. I stand for all of the victim-survivors everywhere.