(LifeSiteNews) — The Diocese of Buffalo has sold three downtown properties worth $4.6 million to help pay settlements to victims of clergy sexual abuse.

“The Diocese is pleased that the sale of its former Catholic Center at 795 Main Street has been completed. The office space was far more than what was needed in recent years for the Catholic Center staff and its operations. The sale proceeds will be directed to the settlement fund that has been agreed to with the Creditor Committee to provide long-awaited financial restitution to the victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse,” the Diocese of Buffalo said in a statement to 2 On Your Side of WGRZ Buffalo.

The properties include a building at 795 Main St. with an attached office building at 801 Main St. and an adjoining parking lot as well as a parking lot at 814 Main St. and a garage at 821 Main St., according to WGRZ. 

The Diocese of Buffalo announced last year that it had reached a settlement whereby it would pay “$150 million to survivors of sexual abuse for acts perpetrated against them by clergy, religious, lay employees, and volunteers.” There are over 800 clerical abuse survivors of Diocese of Buffalo priests included in the settlement.

In May, the diocese issued a statement announcing that it has encouraged all of its parishes to file for bankruptcy in order to reach the $150 million settlement.

In a May 30 statement, the diocese said it had asked all of its parishes to file Chapter 11 “rapid prepackaged” bankruptcy, which would allow each parish to restructure their finances and avoid liquidating their assets in order to pay a $150 million settlement with the more than 800 clerical abuse survivors and bring the case to an end. The diocese stressed that each parish will be bankrupt for only about 48 hours, and the process can proceed only if and when all parishes have approved the proposal.

This development comes nearly a year after the diocese announced that it planned to let go of approximately 22 percent of its staff to help fund the settlement.

Decades of abuse cover-up

In 2018, reports began to emerge that the Diocese of Buffalo, under the leadership of multiple bishops, had been covering for abusive priests going back decades, including then-Bishop Richard J. Malone. The next year, Malone resigned in disgrace after a Vatican investigation revealed that he had covered up the sexual abuse of multiple seminarians and had put a priest who was caught consuming homosexual pornography twice back into ministry, among other charges.

Siobhan O’Connor, Malone’s former secretary, helped bring him down after she blew the whistle on his corrupt behavior during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes in 2019.

In 2020, while facing over 900 lawsuits related to abuse cases, the diocese declared chapter 11 bankruptcy, which ultimately led to April’s $150 million settlement. In September 2024, Malone’s successor, Bishop Michael Fisher, also announced the closure of nearly 80 churches and “worship sites” as part of a broader restructuring plan called “Road to Renewal.”