BUFFALO (NY)
WBFO Radio
May 29, 2019
By Michael Mroziak
A former priest who now leads an agency advocating for victims of sexual abuse is criticizing the system by which the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo processed and compensated abuse cases.
The Diocese of Buffalo, on Tuesday, released the final results of its Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program, which was introduced in March 2018 to address claims of childhood sexual abuse carried out by clergy. The diocese reports paying out an esatimated $17.6 million to date, awarding 127 people an average of $160,000. The compensation per person ranged from $2,000 to $650,000.
In all, 262 claims were filed.
“No one who reported their abuse after March 1, 2018 has been allowed to be part of this program,” said Robert Hoatson, founder and leader of the group Road to Recovery. “And according to reports, 135 cases, claims, have been rejected by the two judges who are running this program.”
Those judges are retired State Supreme Court Justices Jerome Gorski and Barbara Howe.
WBFO forwarded a message to the Diocese of Buffalo, asking for an official statement on its own behalf but as of Wednesday afternoon no reply was received.
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