Higgins says this has clearly been a coverup, and that people of the diocese have lost full confidence in Malone to lead the church.
"I think that Bishop Malone, given the revelation of this audio tape that was obviously made available from somebody that had the bishop's confidence, has a lot to answer for," said Higgins. "I think this is, again, in direct conflict with what the bishop told us was his position as it relates to transparency and fixing the problems that have endured in the Catholic Diocese for decades."
Mayor Byron Brown wasn't as strong in his opinion about what should be the next step for the Buffalo Diocese and for Malone himself, but he did acknowledge that this situation has been a hardship on Buffalo residents.
"I know that there's great upheaval in the Catholic Church right now, and I know that there are members of the community that are working very diligently on these issues to restore hope, trust and faith in the church," said Brown.
After again calling for Malone to resign, Higgins dug in on his stance against Malone and the "troubling" audio tapes.
"I think it's a Bishop Malone-led conspiracy," said Higgins. "These kids are experiencing all kinds of problems as a result of the abuse that they've endured, and this is a bishop that failed to lead in doing the very things that he said he would do. There's no transparency here, and again, it's in his own voice and in his own words that he is really most concerned about self preservation."