BUFFALO (WBEN - Brendan Keany) - A petition to keep Bishop Richard Malone from marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade has generated more than 100 signatures, but it doesn't appear that Malone will be sitting out. Despite the tumultuous 2018 of victim abuse allegations and many accusations against the Buffalo Diocese, local officials aren't calling for his removal from the parade.
"The Diocese, historically, have always had an entry, and therefore, they determine who walks in the parade with them..." said Johnson. "I think it will okay. The mayor and the city always do a great job with keeping everything safe, so I think it will be okay, regardless."
Michael Whalen was the one to really begin last year's movement of alleged victims coming forward against the Diocese, and he was rather indifferent about Malone marching in the parade.
"I really don't care one way or the other," began Whalen. "I think he should resign, don't get me wrong, and I think he's done a lot of bad for the church here, but it's tradition, so let him walk it."
Whalen expressed an idea that he's interested in, and he also thinks it would be good for Malone to face the public.
"I would like to see survivors walk in it; if he can, why can't they?" he said. "Let the people see him for who he is, I mean there's going to be hundreds of thousands of people looking at him, and seeing him, and knowing the stories about him - him not speaking the full truth, hiding and moving priests around - so, let him walk out out in front. Let people see him."