James Faluszczak says he wants to see Bishop Richard Malone resign and he plans to take that request straight to the Pope and ask Pope Francis himself, why is Bishop Malone still here.
“I will be taking the message that I’ve relayed here in Buffalo to the Vatican. That is that I think that Bishop Malone is disqualified to be the Bishop,” said James Faluszczak, sex abuse victim.
It’s been almost one year since James Faluszczak, a former priest himself, decided to go public and tell his story of abuse.
Now he’s heading to Rome, hoping to tell his story on an international stage.
“Anything less than the zero tolerance of Bishops who cover this up without concrete policies and procedures and identified changes in church law, we should regard these meetings as a failure and a waste of time,” said Faluszczak.
On Sunday Pope Francis called for prayers before this week’s summit at the Vatican on sex abuse calling the problem an “urgent challenge of our time.”
“We have to recognize that even Pope Francis himself or Cardinal DiNardo who is the President of the Americans Bishops Conference, they have made missteps,” said Faluszczak.
Pope Francis says the heads of Episcopal conferences worldwide will discuss “protection of minors in the church.”
“He (the Pope) is facing resistance. Let me tell you what is was like to try to have to resist that priest when I was a boy who was sexually assaulting me. So, whatever difficulty for him or discomfort this is for anybody in the Papal Palace, it is nothing compared to what survivors have had to undergo,” said Peter Isely, Abuse Survivor and founding member Ending Clergy Abuse Group.
Many clergy sex abuse victims will be in Rome for the summit to advocate and lend their voice.
James Faluszczak is hoping to spark change in the Catholic Church and here in Western New York.
“I think it’s important for me to lend my experience and my voice to the constant call for zero tolerance of bishops who cover up these crimes,” said Faluszczak.
The summit of bishops from around the world will be held this Thursday through Sunday in Rome.
It’s not clear if Bishop Malone will be attending, and it is not on his public schedule.
RESPONSE FROM CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF BUFFALO COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR:
Only the President of each country’s Conference of Bishops are called to the meeting in Rome. For us, it is CardinalDiNardo – he is the only U.S. rep, as president of the Episcopal Conference. The meeting is very important as the church worldwide is struggling with this horrific abuse crisis. The Pope wants to get all the world’s diocese on the right road to dealing withthis crisis, ensuring safe environment. It shows the Pope’s determination to address the abuse crisis as, tragically, a global problem.
The Bishop has stated he does not plan to step down. While there are a few loud voices , his experience visitingparishes, schools, and other diocesan ministries, reveals support for him to continue to lead the diocese.
