Diocese Says There " No Physical Contact Whatsoever"
By Gene Warner
Buffalo News
August 14, 2007
http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/140599.html
No charges are likely after a weekend complaint filed by a frequent critic of church closings who claimed some minor physical contact during an argument with Bishop Edward U. Kmiec, authorities said Monday.
William Parks, 71, of Fredonia, who is active with a group called Catholic Parishioners Against Church Suppression, got into an argument with the bishop in a Dunkirk hotel Saturday night, both sides seem to agree.
In his complaint, Parks claimed there was some "minor physical contact" with the bishop, according to police reports. Parks reported the incident to police at about 3:25 a.m. Sunday, roughly 6z hours after the argument.
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| Bishop Kmiec talked with accuser. |
"After conferring with the district attorney, we have left it as an active, ongoing investigation," Dunkirk Police Chief David C. Ortolano said Monday. "We want to wait to see if the diocese wants to add anything to the file, or if Mr. Parks comes in to offer any additional information."
No charges have been filed, and no charges have been requested, police said. Parks requested only that a report be filed and that the diocese be advised of the incident.
"I cannot rule out charges 100 percent, but at this point, there doesn't appear there will be any," Ortolano said.
Kevin A. Keenan, spokesman for the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, said Parks went up to the bishop Saturday night and had his picture taken with him, before the bishop learned who he was. They then talked for about 10 minutes.
"Nothing happened other than a conversation between two men," Keenan said Monday. "I've talked to people who were there, and there was no physical contact whatsoever."
Late Monday, the diocese released a statement claiming that the accusation against Kmiec is "demonstrably false," that witnesses contend Parks was trying to harass and provoke Kmiec, rather than engage in meaningful discussion.
The diocese also has asked the Chautauqua County district attorney to review Parks' complaint to determine whether it's a false report. Attorney Terrence M. Connors, representing the diocese, is providing District Attorney David W. Foley eyewitness statements about the incident.
In June, Parks wrote a letter to The Buffalo News, explaining that Catholic Parishioners Against Church Suppression is a group supporting the predominantly Polish parishes of St. Hyacinth and St. Hedwig in Dunkirk.
"We are opposed to the closing of any of the six parishes in the Dunkirk- Fredonia area because all six are financially self-sufficient," Parks wrote.
Contact: gwarner@buffnews.com
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