Mendolera applauded the efforts of local churches and their parishioners who have turned to online giving, especially during the difficulties of the pandemic. He expressed doubt that a second wave of cost-cutting measures would be necessary.
Bishop Malone, who had led the diocese since 2012, resigned in December 2019 following a Vatican-ordered investigation of the diocese.
Malone has apologized for his handling of the case of Fr. Art Smith, a diocesan priest who faced repeated accusations of abuse and misconduct with minors.
Bishop Malone had written to the Vatican in 2015, in a letter later reported in the press, asking that Fr. Smith be kept in active ministry. He admitted in the same letter that Smith had groomed a young boy, had been accused of inappropriate touching, and refused to stay in a treatment center. Smith was eventually suspended in 2018 after the diocese received a new substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor.
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