A New York bishop who was in charge of investigating sex abuse allegations against another bishop has found himself embroiled in his own Catholic Church sex abuse scandal.

Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was leading the investigation into Bishop Richard Malone of the Diocese of Buffalo. Malone allegedly covered up years of sex abuse of minors committed by clergy who reported to him.

DiMarzio now faces accusations he sexually assaulted Mark Matzek, a now-56-year-old man, back in the 1970s during Matzek’s turn as an altar boy in Jersey City.

Despite the allegations, DiMarzio was scheduled to participate in a Q&A session with children at St. Saviour Catholic Academy in Park Slope during Catholic Schools Week that began Jan. 27. DiMarzio canceled his Jan. 28 appearance at the school after parents expressed concerns to the principal, said an article in The New York Post.

In the letter to the principal, parent Gloria Pellegrino wrote she didn’t want someone who was being investigated for child sexual assault to be around her child or to speak with her child. She said if DiMarzio was going to be at her child’s school, she would keep her child home that day.

DiMarzio issued a statement to The Post, said he denied the sexual assault allegations, but decided not to visit the school to keep from being a “distraction” during the celebration of Catholic Schools Week.

When a bishop turns 75 years old, he must send a letter of resignation to the pope. Pope Francis has not accepted DiMarzio’s resignation, which he submitted in June of last year.

The Post pointed out that most priests who have faced sexual abuse allegations have been made to relinquish their duties while the investigation is ongoing, but DiMarzio continues to be perform duties as a bishop.

The Roman Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal continues to reveal more alleged perpetrators who were entrusted with children by faithful parishioners.

Catholic Church Sex Abuse Scandal Investigative Conflicts

According to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR), an independent news source not affiliated with the church, Pope Francis has ordered New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan to investigate the allegations against DiMarzio. These two men have had to work together closely, and the appearance of a possible lack of objectivity could taint any findings made by Dolan, according to an editorial by NCR staff.

“We have reached this point in a massive conundrum, where church leaders are duty-bound to investigate sex abuse cases, even as it has been bishops who have failed so miserably in the past,” says the NCR editorial. “That makes it even more imperative to get these investigations done in an atmosphere that rises above suspicion.”

According to Cruxnow.com, Matzek will file a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Newark now that New Jersey has opened a two-year look-back window that allows victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits even if a prior statute of limitations has run out.

DiMarzio has received credit in the past for helping victims of the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. In the 1990s, he established a dedicated phone line for abuse victims to call the local district attorney. At the time, DiMarzio was the bishop of the Diocese of Camden, N.J.

Last year, DiMarzio authorized the publication of 108 priests’ names from the Brooklyn Diocese because the men were credibly accused of child sexual abuse. Most of those named were deceased because they had been ordained between 1930 and 1979.

Matzek accuses DiMarzio and the late Father Albert Mark of repeated sexual abuse in the 1970s.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.