ROCHESTER (NY)
WROC
3/18/2005 6:00 PM
Bishop Matthew Clark spoke out for the first time Friday about allegations against a local priest. Father Michael Volino, of St. John the Evangelist Church in Greece, is charged with possessing child pornography.
The Bishop says he's speaking out to reassure the community that the diocese takes very seriously it's responsibility to protect children. But, he also acknowledges there's been a serious collapse in communication.
"I need to acknowledge that we've had a breakdown in our procedures," Bishop Clark said Friday.
His response comes amid new information which surfaced during Volino's court appearance this week. A report was sited which suggested the priest was not supposed to be working with children. That came from the Saint Luke Institute, a facility for troubled priests in Maryland. Volino spent several weeks there at the Bishop's request for counseling on "maturity issues," not sexual concerns, according to Clark.