BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Diocese of Buffalo placed Monsignor Peter J. Popadick on leave for the second time Wednesday, after previously allowing the priest to return to ministry.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the diocese wrote that Popadick was placed on administrative leave after it received a child sexual abuse complaint.
Popadick serves as the pastor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga.
Diocese spokesman Joe Martone told 7 News the claim is more than 20 years old.
Bishop Richard J. Malone placed Popadick on leave in August 2019 after a lawsuit was filed under New York’s Child Victims Act. He was accused of molesting a boy in the 1970s.
The diocese announced the return of Popadick through a written statement in January 2020. Popadick denied the allegations of sexual abuse and the diocese said, “based on the information available at this time and the refusal of the complainant to cooperate in an independent investigation, it is unable to substantiate the allegations of sexual abuse of a minor” against the pastor.
Popadick served as the longtime secretary to Bishop Edward D. Head.
