BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — As the Buffalo Diocese moves ahead with its controversial Road to Renewal plan aimed at closing and merging churches over the next several months, some WNY Catholics and priests are voicing strong opposition.
Save Our Buffalo Churches, a grassroots advocacy group, recently released the results of a clergy survey revealing significant concerns within the diocese. The survey, conducted by St. Joseph’s Cannon Law, targeted Catholic priests to gauge their views of the Road to Renewal initiative.
Mary Pruski, a spokesperson for Save Our Buffalo Churches, expressed frustration over the ongoing church closures and mergers.
“We’re saying it’s time to stop because we can do the right thing if we work together,” Pruski said.
The survey's shows 93 percent of the responding priests believe the Road to Renewal plan will negatively impact key areas such as priest recruitment, parishioner donations, and participation in the church.
“We were amazed at how honest our priests were,” Pruski added. “Other dioceses have seen political responses where priests just check yes or no, but here it was different. It felt like genuine concern that this movement is heading in the wrong direction.”
The survey, which was sent to all active priests in the diocese, also showed that 85 percent of priests feel Bishop Michael Fisher “lacks a sufficient understanding of the needs of parishes and laity to justify the proposed church mergers.”
The diocese, however, has raised questions about the survey’s reliability.
Joe Martone, spokesman for the Buffalo Diocese, told 7 News only a small percentage of priests — around 9 percent — responded, which he argued may not accurately reflect the views of the entire clergy.
Martone said they examined the survey finding only 18 to 22 priests who responded to the survey. There are currently 114 active priests in the diocese.
Pruski responded, explaining that priests were assured confidentiality and encouraged to answer honestly, stressing that the survey was a crucial tool in gauging the level of concern among local clergy.
“The survey was mailed out last October, and we knew it was important to get a feel for whether we should continue pushing our movement forward,” Pruski explained.
Despite growing opposition, the diocese maintains that Bishop Fisher and the priest overseeing the Road to Renewal plan are open to discussion. According to Martone, the bishop and the priest leading Road to Renewal have an “open-door policy” and are willing to meet with priests to address their concerns.
Diocesan leaders continue to maintain and defend the initiative as necessary for the long-term sustainability of the church.
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