Bishop Edward Grosz Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Edward Grosz, auxiliary bishop of Buffalo, who has been accused of mishandling a sex abuse allegation.
Grosz, who turned 75 on February 16, offered his resignation at the age required by canon law.
The Vatican’s announcement on March 2 accepting Grosz’s resignation did not indicate whether it will conduct any investigation into the allegation against the bishop.
His retirement comes following a year of allegations of a cover-up of clergy sex abuse made against the leadership of the Diocese of Buffalo, including an allegation of negligence on the part of Grosz himself.
In September, a priest who was sexually abused as a seminarian alleged that Grosz responded to his 2003 report of the abuse by threatening his vocation.
Fr Ryszard Biernat, who was abused as a seminarian in Buffalo by a priest who was later removed from ministry, recalled the auxiliary bishop’s response:
“He said [it] was my fault because I [didn’t] lock the door,” Fr Biernat quoted Bishop Grosz. “And then he said, ‘and Ryszard, if you don’t stop talking about this, you will not become a priest. You understand me? You understand me?’.”
Investigation
Bishop Joseph Malone, who led the diocese from 2012 until last year, resigned in December following a Vatican-ordered investigation of the diocese.
Following Malone’s resignation, Bishop Edward Scharfenberger of Albany was appointed by Pope Francis to oversee the diocese until a replacement was named.
Grosz told local media in December that his role under Scharfenberger’s administration of the diocese would be “primarily sacramental and in assistance to priests”, and said that he planned to submit his resignation in February after his 75th birthday.
As auxiliary bishop, Grosz and Malone met with Pope Francis on November 15 during the ad limina visit of bishops from New York.
Grosz had been an auxiliary bishop of Buffalo since 1989. A native of Buffalo, he studied at St John Vianney Seminary in New York and was ordained a priest in 1971.
The Diocese of Buffalo announced on February 28 that it is declaring bankruptcy as hundreds of abuse lawsuits have been filed against it in the last several months.
The diocese said it was formally filing for Chapter 11 reorganisation under the US bankruptcy code to provide the most compensation for victims of clergy sex abuse while continuing the day-to-day work of its Catholic mission.