Survivor details decades of abuse
More than five years after the first Child Victims Act lawsuit was filed, clergy sex abuse survivors of the Buffalo Diocese are finally having their voices heard in federal court.
Survivors began delivering statements Tuesday before U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Carl Bucki and Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher as part of the diocese's ongoing bankruptcy case.
The emotional and graphic testimonies marked a significant moment for those who have waited years for this opportunity.
Michael Whalen, a clergy sex abuse survivor, was the first of about 20 survivors to speak. He was also the first person to come forward eight years ago, saying he was sexually abused by Father Norbert Orsolits at St. John Vianney Church in Orchard Park when he was a teenager.
"These were crimes against children and they went unpunished," Whalen said.
Whalen broke down in court while reflecting decades of pain from the abuse. He said the priest admitted to molesting dozens of boys but never faced jail time.
"My abuser admitted to a couple of dozen boys and he openly admitted it, and he was able to walk free. He wasn't on no sex offender registry. He wasn't punished in any way," Whalen said.
Whalen also criticized the diocese's handling of the situation, saying church officials knew about the abuse years before it happened to him.
WATCH: Clergy sex abuse survivors in Buffalo Diocese share their stories
"They knew about him ten years before he abused me. They knew about the abuse. He was caught, but they just moved him around," Whalen said.
Whalen said he has forgiven the priest, who died in 2021.
Multiple survivors share graphic testimony
A 69-year-old survivor testified about being sexually abused and raped between the ages of 7 and 11 by Father Edward Townsend. The survivor presented a childhood photo to Bishop Edward Scharfenberger in the courtroom and described graphic details of the abuse, including being raped in a school shower, screaming and crying as he watched blood mixing with water in the drain.
Another survivor thanked the bishop for giving him time and dignity to listen, contrasting the current bishop's approach with former Bishop Richard Malone, whom he described as "dismissive" when he first reported his story to the diocese.
Another survivor cried while delivering his statement about abuse by Father John Aurelio at his cabin in the woods. The priest was considered "cool," and the survivor served as an altar boy at St. Gerard's Church on the East Side.
Ann Fossler testified about how a priest who abused her as a young girl called it a "special relationship". In her statement, Fossler said Monsignor John Ryan sexually abused her from about age 7 to 10 during the late 1950s while at Queen of Heaven Church in West Seneca.
In court Tuesday, Fossler said it was abuse and she "hated his touch and his smell."
Fossler also talked about how he would take her to his cabin. I talked to Fossler about her abuse case back in December.
"Because I was so young when my abuse occurred, I really didn't have a childhood," Fossler said.
Michael DiGuilio also shared his experience of abuse at St. Andrew's in Tonawanda by Father Norbert, saying he told his father about the abuse and his dad "almost killed” the priest.
Proceedings to continue
Bishop Fisher declined to go on camera for comment Tuesday, but offered a written statement:
"This is a long-awaited moment for those who have endured the devastating trauma of sexual abuse to speak and be heard. I will be listening intently with an empathetic heart and mind to these deeply personal accounts.It’s my hope that this opportunity provides victim-survivors a sense of justice, however painful it is for them to recount their experiences.we remain committed to doing everything we can to support their healing."
Bishop Michael Fisher
Survivor statements will continue Wednesday and again February 25 and 26. If more dates are needed, they will be added.
7 News has been following this story since the beginning. Below you can find a database created by the 7 News team of all the claims filed under the Child Victims Act in Western New York as of 2019/2020.
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