Buffalo Catholic Diocese Hotline Number for Victims of Child Abuse

By Hilary Lane
The NBC News
November 18, 2013

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/53518351/#.UoolAOL0CCp

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) - The Buffalo Catholic Diocese says the confidential hotline number for anyone to report knowledge of child sexual abuse is back up and working.

Father Michael Kolodziej worked in the Buffalo area for about 15 years. Now that he is facing charges, the Buffalo Catholic Diocese is asking anyone who has knowledge of child sexual abuse to call a confidential hotline number.

That number is (716) 895-3010.

Father Kolodziej is accused of sexually abusing a student while he was a teacher at a Catholic school in Baltimore, Maryland. The alleged victim claims Father Kolodziej abused him several times while Kolodziej "wrestled him." The alleged incidents occured from 1975 to 1979.

Now, the Buffalo diocese is asking anyone with knowledge of any type of sexual abuse to come forward and call a hotline number. One alleged victim called our newsroom and told us he tried to call, but couldn't get through. We tried the hotline multiple times, but found only a busy signal. When we contacted the diocese about the problem, they said they would look into it. Shortly after 9 on Monday morning, the Buffalo Catholic Diocese has contact us saying the number is back up and working.

We were told potential victims could email their claim, but the man who called into our newsroom doesn't have a computer. This man, who declined to be on camera, is a former student of Father Kolodziej's from Bishop Turner High School. He claims Father Kolodziej routinely passed pornographic images around the classroom and made sexually explicit comments to students.