Richard Joseph Malone

Richard Joseph Malone (born March 19, 1946) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo in New York, from 2012 to 2019. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Portland in Maine from 2004 to 2012 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2004.

Malone resigned as bishop of Buffalo in 2019 following a Vatican investigation into his handling of sexual abuse cases in the diocese.

Biography

Early life Richard Malone was born on March 19, 1946, in Salem, Massachusetts. He was raised in Hamilton and Beverly, Massachusetts and has one sister. He graduated from St. John's Prep in 1964, and then attended Cardinal O'Connell Seminary and St. John's Seminary, both in Boston, Massachusetts, where he obtained his Bachelor of Philosophy, Master of Divinity, and Master of Theology degrees.

Priesthood Malone was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston for the Archdiocese of Boston by Archbishop Humberto Medeiros on May 20, 1972. After his ordination, Malone served as associate pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham, Massachusetts, until 1974. He received his episcopal consecration at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on March 1, 2001, from Cardinal Bernard Law, with Bishops William Murphy and John Boles as co-consecrators. he was installed on March 31, 2004. In September 2011, Malone was named as chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He also produced and hosted programs for CatholicTV. He was installed at St. Joseph Cathedral in Buffalo on August 10, 2012. After his installation, Malone was appointed as apostolic administrator of Portland, continuing to run that diocese also until Bishop Robert P. Deeley was installed there on February 14, 2014

In January 2014, Malone was appointed chairman of the USCCB Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth. On February 4, 2015, he issued a letter condemning the film Fifty Shades of Grey on the eve of its release in theaters. In his statement, Malone spoke of "...the beauty of the Church's teaching on the gift of sexual intimacy in marriage, the great dignity of women, and the moral reprehensibility of all domestic violence and sexual exploitation."

On September 12, 2018, leaked church records showed that there were 106 clergy in the Diocese of Buffalo who had been credibly accused of sexually abusing children, far more than a list of 42 which had been released by the diocese in March 2018.

On September 20, 2019, leaked audio recordings of Malone revealed that he diverted 40 percent of donations sent to Catholic charities in the diocese to a foundation known as "The Bishop's Fund for the Faith." The foundation was included in the diocese's budget as a separate corporate entity, which would protect the money from lawsuits and bankruptcy. Malone published an Adult Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures and a new Code of Pastoral Conduct for Clergy. On October 3, 2019, the Congregation for Bishops in Rome assigned Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio to investigate Malone's handling of the Diocese of Buffalo.

Resignation and legacy Pope Francis accepted Malone's resignation as bishop of Buffalo on December 4, 2019. The TV program 60 Minutes Overtime reported that Malone's resignation was linked to leaked sex abuse documents which were reported by 60 Minutes journalist Bill Whitaker in 2018. On December 10, 2019, Malone said he submitted his resignation early so the diocese could "move forward" and added: "It's just the right thing to do, and I'll still be living in the Buffalo area because I'm still a Bishop in good standing, so you'll see me around."

On November 23, 2020, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against Malone, the Diocese of Buffalo and Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Edward M. Grosz. The lawsuit claimed that the defendants misused diocese funds to cover up alleged sex abuse of over two dozen priests. At the same time, the attorney general released a 218-page report detailing a two-year investigation of all the defendants.

A few clergy on the list who were still active in ministry have been suspended. On September 28, Malone named Steven L. Halter, a former agent in the FBI's Buffalo Division, as director of the diocese's new Office of Personal Responsibility, which handles sex abuse complaints.

Yetter case In 2017, CNN reported on Malone's handling of sexual misconduct accusations against Reverend Robert Yetter, pastor of Saint Mary's Parish. One alleged victim said that Yetter began grooming him in second grade. The diocese sent Yetter to counseling and then dispatched him on an overseas mission trip. After returning to Buffalo, Yetter wrote to the diocese, cautioning it against removing him from St. Mary's. He argued that doing so would have a negative impact on diocesan finances, as the St. Mary's was one of the largest contributing parishes in the diocese. In January 2018, Malone responded to Yetter, thanking him for his "faithful and effective ministry", and permitted him to continue with priestly activities. After another allegation of sexual misconduct, Yetter was forced to resign in August 2018 and placed on administrative leave. After a night of drinking, Salemi had attempted to seduce a 21-year-old male parishioner. Salemi was never laicized, and he did not stop receiving payment from the Diocese of Buffalo until payment to 23 accused diocese clergy, including Salemi, ended the previous week.