BUFFALO (WBEN) - On Monday, it was revealed that the former Auxiliary Bishop of the Buffalo Diocese, Edward Grosz, has been accused of sex abuse, prompting him to voluntarily step aside from active ministry pending the investigation.
Prominent sex abuse victims attorneys Jeff Anderson and Steve Boyd held a press conference in front of the Buffalo Diocese Tuesday to discuss the details of the case.
"We're here today because a courageous survivor...had the courage to come forward with his truth," said Anderson. "His truth is that he was repeatedly sexually violated by a known offender by the name of [Rev. Richard] Keppeler, and then at the age of 15, in a (confirmation) ceremony...was violated and assaulted by a prominent pastoral figure - then Auxiliary Bishop Grosz.
"It's also significant to have context to that name and this bishop because he is the bishop in this diocese, as auxiliary for years, that was tasked with responding to sexual abuse," Anderson continued. "He is the bishop that would contact the survivors after reports that were made; he is the bishop that was supposed to be handling this issue."
Boyd said they've spoken with three witnesses who allegedly saw the victim's interactions with Grosz the night of the confirmation ceremony, including the victim's grandmother who told the bishop "get your hands off my grandson."
"They saw him groping him," Boyd said. "They did not know the extent of what had gone on, but the grandmother got into it with the bishop at the reception where Bishop Grosz appeared to be constantly by this boy's side with his hands on him."
Perhaps even more disturbing, according to Boyd, is that the victim went to the confirmation ceremony with the intent of telling Grosz about the abuse he had suffered from Keppeler.
"I think it's important that you know that perpetrator Keppeler abused him for a long period of time, and this person went to the confirmation thinking, 'This is my chance to tell the bishop; this is my chance to blow him in and get him taken away,'" said Boyd. "He was betrayed by the bishop, and he realized almost immediately that the bishop was just like Keppeler...
"As this person walked up to make his confirmation a sacrament, Bishop Grosz was heard to say to Keppeler, 'Dick, you were right about this one - he looks like he could be in GQ Magazine."
Michael Whalen is a sex abuse survivor who was one of the first to come forward publicly back in 2018 about his experience with abuse within the Buffalo Diocese.
Whalen said he received a call from Grosz after reporting his abuse at the hands of Fr. Norbert Orsolits, who admitted to abusing several children.
"Bishop Grosz told me that the statute of limitations has come and gone, that there was nothing that I could do," said Whalen. "He offered me counseling, but I was already going to counseling, so I told him that I didn't need it, but he never apologized when he called me, he just told me there was nothing I could do.
"A year before I came here and told my story, Bishop Grosz told me that they knew about Orsolits," he continued. "They knew about him and they did nothing - they moved him around and did absolutely nothing."
