BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A former priest for Buffalo’s Catholic Diocese is now admitting he sexually abused teenage boys in the late 1970’s.

That admission comes a day after a South Buffalo man accused the priest of abuse.

Michael Whalen came forward as a victim of a sex abuse by the now retired Reverend Norbert Orsolits.

We spoke to the former priest on the phone Wednesday.

He didn’t want to do an on camera or phone interview, but does admit to engaging in sexual contact with multiple teenage boys, all of it fueled by alcohol.

Former Reverend Normand Orsolitis says he doesn’t remember 52-year-old Michael Whalen.
But, he did admit to touching multiple teenage boys sexually and having had them touch him.
Whalen said it destroyed his life and led him to abuse drugs and alcohol. He went back to the church last year and told the current priest there about the alleged abuse.
Whalen said, “They told me, the bishop and the lawyer told me the statue of limitations had passed.”
But after this abuse happened, Orsolits still continued to work as a priest.
He says after 1980, Bishop Edward Head sent him to  a recovery institute in Canada, for six months of “psychological” treatment.
It’s something he says stopped him from pursuing sexual abuse further.
After treatment, Orsolitis says he then worked as a priest in a Portville and taught at a high school.
He later served as Chaplain at Buffalo General Hospital and for Hospice Buffalo.
In 2003, Bishop Henry Mansell told Orsolits he had to retire from ministry.
The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo on Tuesday confirmed Orsolits was removed from ministry in 2003.
Whalen is fighting for the Child Victim’s Act which would extend the time-frame for victims to bring criminal and civil cases forward.
This is something District Attorney John Flynn supports, and is on the Governor’s agenda for state budget negotiations.
He says those in charge didn’t handle this case the right way. He said, “Whenever you have an entity or an institution take on those roles as Prosecutor, Judge and jury by them-selves, that is problematic.”
Orsolits says the Diocese called him to try to confirm Whalen’s accusations, but he couldn’t provide details.

The retired priest also says Whalen had a time span when he should have reported this, but he didn’t.

He believes that’s why this is coming out now.  When we asked him his thoughts about the Child Victims Act, He said, “I think it has a purpose, but it can become too political.”