BUFFALO (NY)
WKBW
May 30, 2018
By Charlie Specht
Matt Golden and Nick Caetano are alleged victims of Father Dennis Riter, who allegedly abused them while they were altar boys at a Buffalo parish 20 years ago.
Two months ago, when the boys’ stories first came to light, the diocese suspended Father Riter from the Dunkirk parish where he serves as pastor.
But 7 Eyewitness News has now found a third victim — this one from a church in Lackawanna — and a secret document that suggests two bishops may have been warned of Father Riter’s abuse more than 25 years ago — and failed to act.
One of those men is Edward Grosz — the current auxiliary bishop of Buffalo who now plays a key role in the diocese’s response to the sexual abuse crisis. Golden, a former altar boy, had harsh words for the bishop who once presided at his confirmation into the Catholic faith.
“You knew about this…and you did nothing,” Golden said. “Where’s the accountability?”
The secret letter — obtained exclusively by 7 Eyewitness News — was written and signed by a student at Christ the King Seminary in 1992. The seminarian says he walked in on Father Riter abusing a six-year-old boy at the rectory of Queen of All Saints Church in Lackawanna. But when he alerted diocesan authorities about what he saw, he said he was given the message to keep quiet.
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