Buffalo, N.Y., Nov 19, 2019 / 09:40 am
Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo has released a video statement following his recent ad limina visit to Rome with the bishops of New York. Bishop Malone used the message to insist he is "wholly committed" to the work of healing in the diocese.
In the video, released Monday, Malone said that each of the bishops was personally greeted by Pope Francis as they entered and left their audience with the Holy Father, and that the pope had shared his closeness to the people and diocese of Buffalo following a year of controversy.
"In a few words spoken privately to me, it was clear that the pope understands the difficulties and distress we here in Buffalo, and I personally, have been experiencing," Malone said. "He was very understanding and kind."
Malone's future has been the subject of speculation following months of scandal. At the end of the New York bishops' ad limina, rumors surfaced on social media that the bishop's resignation was shortly to be accepted by the pope.