Siobhan O’Connor: Church Whistleblower or
Simply Being Catholic
"At the end of my life, I'm not going to answer to Bishop Malone. I'm going to answer to God." – Siobhan O’Connor, CBS interview, October 28, 2018
Starting in 2015, for the greater part of 3 years, Siobhan O'Connor diligently worked at the Diocese of Buffalo, NY, as Bishop Richard J. Malone's “loyal” executive assistant. Her job description placed her squarely on the diocese’s front line of defense where she performed admirably as a “guardian angel” of sorts.
Acting in that trusted capacity, among other things, Siobhan was assigned to deal directly with incoming calls and correspondence from distraught Catholics who denounced various egregious “Spiritual Abuse” issues within the Buffalo diocese.
Ranked by overall venality, at the top of the list of denounced “Spiritual Abuses”, sat “sexual abuse” committed by certain members of the dioceses' clergy; which, though monstrous and deplorable, was but one of many abuses reported. All such allegations were systematically documented and promptly escalated to Bishop Malone for action.
I came to know Siobhan, via email, back in August 2017, when I contacted the Diocese of Buffalo, as a concerned Catholic parent, demanding to know why the Dimond Brothers’ (MhFM) in Fillmore, NY, were operating their schismatic sedevacantist cyber-ministry unopposed by the diocese; whose ecclesiastic jurisdiction the MhFM fell directly under.
Over the next year, Siobhan e-mailed me regularly informing me that, unfortunately, though Bishop Malone continues to agree that something needs to be done, he was still looking into how best to proceed.
In those e-mails, Siobhan encourage me not to give up hope, not to lose faith in the Church and to know that she would continue to advocate with Bishop Malone on my behalf ... and not abandon me and my family.
In retrospect, it is possible that Bishop Malone, like Father Mancuso, Fillmore's Parish Priest, simply considered the Dimond Brothers as “a couple of insane kooks” who were not worth wasting the Church’s time over.
But, I digress ...
Bishop Richard J. Malone, Head of the Diocese in Buffalo, NY, is potentially facing a New York State criminal investigation for concealing evidence pertaining to hundreds of “sexual abuse” allegations lodged against 106 amoral Priests, over a multi-state, 20 year period, which, despite the seriousness of the criminal allegations, were allowed to continue carrying on in the ministry.
As a result of these grievous assertions against Bishop Malone there has been an outcry from within the laity demanding his resignation; which, to date, he’s refused to do, stating that a “shepherd does not desert the flock at a difficult time.”
No one denies that Richard J. Malone, being a consecrated Bishop, is considered by the Roman Church to be a “shepherd”. The question is … is he a “Good” one?
A “Good Shepherd” is the one who cherishes and provides for the well-being of the “flock” Christ has placed in his care. He leads his fold through the waters of baptism and on to pastures of plenty (eternal salvation) … teaching them right from wrong along the way. He stands tall and righteously fends off ravenous “predators” of every kind, protecting his precious lambs and keeping them safe from harm. And, when necessity dictates, he goes out alone to seek and bring back into the drove those who have strayed and/or lost their way.
In all fairness to the Bishop, he openly admitted during a press conference that he “may have” fallen short in the handling of “certain allegations” but does not believe he is culpable of any “moral” or “ethical” wrong doing.
Could it be that Bishop Malone has misunderstood the terrestrial / celestial authoritative limits associated with “absolving” the sins of a penitent within the confessional?
The scriptures do state that Christ’s apostles are given the power and authority to “absolve” a penitent of any and all sins committed.
"Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." – St. John 20:23
Absolution obtained by a penitent within the confessional, though it is indeed accepted by God (St. John 20:23), does not “free” the penitent from the legal ramifications (“real world consequences”) attributed to the sin (crime) committed by the penitent.
Jesus made it clear:
"… Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." – St Mark 12:17
Bishop Malone overstepped his bounds when he chose to withhold evidence from investgators; presenting instead a partial list containing the names of only 42 of the 106 priests accused of “sexual abuse”; that Siobhan O’Connor found in a file, at the bottom of a box, hidden away in a “broom closet” at the Buffalo diocese.
Either
She hand over the concealed evidence to the authorities, exposing the truth about “Pederast Priests” and advocate on behalf of the victims of “sexual abuse” in the Church, ... or ...
She remain silent and answer before God as well as possibly the State for obstructing justice and/or being considerd as an accomplice.
Thus, on October 28, 2018, Siobhan O'Connor courageously stepped forward exposing the “damning truth” in a nationwide televised interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes. She believed that if she didn’t come forward that there existed an unacceptable risk that others could fall prey to and be “sexually abused” by these deviant priests.
The Diocese of Buffalo responded on October 30, 2018 to her televised interview by stating that Bishop Malone was “stunned and dismayed”; which I guess is the diocese’s way of expressing that they got caught with their pants down (no pun intended).
I, for one, am proud of Siobhan and applaud her courageous decision to denounce a “shepherd” who had morally abandoned his “flock”:
"The reality of what I saw left me with no other option, because at the end of my life, I'm not going to answer to Bishop Malone. I am going to answer to God."
There is no doubt in my mind that Siobhan remained “loyal” to Bishop Malone right up until the time he proved to her his “disloyalty” towards Christ and the “flock” he’d sworn an oath, before God, to protect.
There are a couple of questions remaining unanswered.
Did Siobhan report her discovery of the “hidden” file containing the 106 names to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) in Rome (the old Roman Inquisitor’s Office) before going external with the information? And if so ...
Did the CDF let her down as well?
By going external Siobhan’s actions have been misconstrued by some as being disloyal and acting against the interests of the Church; which, in my opinion, is far cry from the truth. Though the press describes her as being a Whistleblower … she deserves better than that.
Siobhan O'Connor merits to be recognized for what she actually is … that simply being a stalwart Catholic defending her faith.
"Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it. Right is right even if no one is doing it." - St. Augustine
- Pax Tecum