Diocese of Buffalo addresses parishioners' concerns amid settlement

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Leaders within the Diocese of Buffalo are addressing parishioners' concerns after many have spoken out against having their parish pay into the clergy sex abuse settlement. 

Parishes throughout the Diocese have to contribute between 10 to 80 percent of unrestricted assets for a combined total of $80 million toward the $150 million settlement, which has upset many Catholics. 

"We understand their recoil, that some may be outraged, but again, this is not something that is solely the responsibility of clergy members," said Richard Suchan, the Diocese of Buffalo's CEO. "It involves teachers, it involves employees and volunteers of parishes and schools, in addition to other organizations and schools. It does become our responsibility as a church to fulfill this obligation."

WIVB News 4 did a sit down interview with Suchan to bring parishioner concerns directly to leaders in the Diocese.

Many parishioners are upset that their donations to their parish could now be going toward the settlement.

Suchan said they are not using prepaid tuition payments or donations that were given for a specific purpose. He said donations made during mass are considered an unrestricted gift, meaning those donations could be used toward the settlement, but Suchan said those funds usually go toward operating costs to maintain a parish. 

Some parishioners reached out to News 4 and said they want to know how the Diocese calculated what each parish will pay. Some Catholics wanted to know why their parish was paying more than other parishes.

When deciding how much each parish will contribute to the settlement, Suchan said they took into consideration how much a parish makes, saying the more a parish makes, the more it will pay. 

He said the same formula was used with each parish and emphasized each parishes' finances were calculated the same way.

All parishes will have to make their contributions to the settlement by July 15.