Save Our Buffalo Churches, a parish preservation group in the Diocese of Buffalo, has petitioned the Vatican to investigate the leadership of Bishop Michael Fisher.
The campaign group has announced that it is sending a petition to the Holy See requesting an investigation into Bishop Fisher. The group says it is concerned about what it describes as possible mismanagement of the sexual abuse settlement process and the handling of related information provided to Vatican authorities.
This coincides with the final round of impact statements in the Chapter 11 case brought by survivors of clergy sexual abuse against the Diocese of Buffalo. The third session began on Wednesday, when victim-survivors addressed the court and described the lasting effects that abuse by members of the clergy has had on their lives. The bankruptcy filing was made seven years ago as the diocese faced mounting claims linked to historical abuse.
In a statement, the group said it had “made the decision to pursue a Papal petition requesting the Holy See to investigate Bishop Fisher and his executive team”. It added that the outcome of such an audit “can include corrective action up to and including program changes to removal from their positions”.
The statement continued: “Bishop Fisher’s ministry has become increasingly ineffective and harmful. He has lost his good reputation among Catholics, and his actions have harmed the reputation of the Catholic Church to both Catholics and non-Catholics. This situation has reached the point of necessity for intervention by the Holy See.”
Save Our Buffalo Churches said it was seeking an investigation “principally into mismanagement of the sexual abuse and crisis settlement process, including fallout such as misrepresentation of information to the Vatican Dicastery for the Clergy and the malevolence toward the spiritual health of our clergy and all Catholics in Western New York”. The group said that the St Joseph Foundation was supporting its effort.
The diocese responded with a statement rejecting the allegations and defending its conduct during the bankruptcy and parish restructuring process.
“While the Diocese respects the right of various individuals and groups to appeal to the Holy See on matters involving the merging and closure of parishes as part of the ‘Road to Renewal’ – an initiative aimed at bringing together resources and merging unsustainable parishes with stronger, more viable parishes – the Diocese categorically rejects any assertion of ‘mismanagement’ or ‘misrepresentation’ in efforts to settle its bankruptcy status with the Creditors Committee or with any information provided to the Dicastery for the Clergy,” the statement said.
The diocese said that since becoming Bishop of Buffalo in January 2021, Bishop Michael W Fisher “has worked arduously to address the clergy sex abuse crisis, implementing robust and effective protocols and procedures for the protection of children and other vulnerable individuals, while also engaging in good faith with the Creditors Committee to arrive at a financial settlement pool to enable a sense of justice and restitution for victim-survivors”.
It added that Bishop Fisher and his leadership team “continue to work constructively with the Dicastery for the Clergy to provide all relevant information and detail as required to address questions about individual parish mergers and closures, and to also address the objections of individual parishes that have appealed specific decrees, as is their right”.
The statement further said that the Diocese of Buffalo “fully complies with all judgments rendered by the Dicastery for the Clergy and has not appealed any revocation of merger or closure decrees issued by the Dicastery”.
The dispute comes amid a protracted and sometimes contentious process of parish mergers and closures under the diocese’s Road to Renewal programme. Save Our Buffalo Churches has been a prominent critic of the plan and has challenged a number of decisions in both civil and ecclesiastical forums.
In July 2025 the New York State Supreme Court briefly ruled in favour of several Buffalo parishes that had objected to a requirement that they contribute substantial funds towards a proposed $150 million settlement for abuse claims while appeals over parish closures were still pending in Rome. The parishes argued that they were being required to pay into the settlement even as they awaited decisions from the Vatican regarding the future of their communities.
The lawsuit was later dismissed, with the court citing what it described as a “long-recognised and sensible prohibition against court involvement in the governance and administration of a hierarchical church”.
Tensions have also arisen over the use of parish facilities. In 2024 Bishop Fisher imposed a ban on parishioners using church property while campaigning against diocesan-mandated mergers and closures. The decision was reversed in November 2025 following meetings with Vatican officials.
In December 2025 the Vatican ordered that several parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo could remain open after advocates petitioned the Holy See over closure decrees. The diocese has said it has complied with those rulings and has not appealed any revocations issued by the Dicastery for the Clergy.
Seeing as the complaint is addressing the behaviour of a Bishop in the Latin Church, the Dicastery for Bishops will be responsible for assessing whether an investigation is necessary. The process may also involve the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith. It will likely be months before Save Our Buffalo Churches will receive a response.
