Richard Joseph Malone was installed as the 14th Bishop of Buffalo in August 2012, replacing Bishop Edward Kmiec. 

One of Bishop Malone's first orders of business was to reinstate Father Art Smith, who faced a number of abuse allegations dating back several years. Smith has been since removed again and was angry at the bishop.

Fast forward to February 2018, when Michael Whalen stood in front of the Catholic Center in Buffalo and spoke out for the very first time about the sexual abuse he suffered as a teen.  

Several other survivors then followed suit and opened up about the abuse they suffered as well.

At the same time, Malone released the names of accused priests placed on administrative leave. He also defended his actions to reinstate clergy that many parishioners believed were still a threat to their community.

March 1 of that year, the diocese announced it had created an Independent Reconciliation and Compensation program, offering cash awards to abuse survivors.

"We're sorry, I'm sorry,” Malone said at the time. “We want to do everything we can going forward, reaching out to you, who have come to us in the past."

A couple of months later, the diocese announced the creation of an Office of Professional Responsibility to review abuse claims, lead by investigator Stephen Halter. 

In October 2018, the laity got involved and formed the Movement to Restore Trust in the Diocese of Buffalo.  The group reiterated its confidence in Malone and was set to meet with him regularly. 

At the end of that month, former Malone administrative assistant turned whistleblower Siobhan O'Connor elevated the story to a national level when she sat down with 60 Minutes.

The litany of accusers forced the diocese in November 2018 to release an updated list of priests accused of abuse, reiterating that most of the abuse that occurred within the diocese happened between 1960 and 1970.

The diocese then announced it was also cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the New York State Attorney General’s Office.

In early 2019, more victims came forward as protests against the church grew.

The diocese announced Bishop Malone would not be participating in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Buffalo in order to “prevent it from being used as a platform to address unrelated issues.”

In April, Malone and the Movement to Restore Trust created a joint implementation team to roll out and prioritize a group of reforms.

This past summer, members of the Movement to Restore Trust released a 68-page report to Bishop Malone, listing several recommendations to curb the growing erosion of faith. They still stood behind the bishop.

Soon after, their faith in Bishop Malone was slowly starting to erode after two seminarians from Christ the King Seminary stepped down, criticizing Bishop Malone's handing of allegations there, and calling for him to step down.

Then, secret audio recordings surfaced from a second whistleblower, and Malone's priest secretary, Father Ryszard Biernaut, prompting him to call for Malone to resign.

The move forced Bishop Malone to again come forward and vow to stay on.

"If I thought the majority of Catholic people, in particular were calling for resignation, that would be a different story," Malone said in September.

That spurred a number of petitions to circulate among clergy and parishioners calling for Bishop Malone to step aside.

It also prompted the Movement to Restore Trust to pull support for Malone, and on September 5, demanded he resign.

"He was not willing to do so,” said John Hurley, one of the group’s leaders. “Focus needs to be on what's the best thing that could happen right now for the Diocese of Buffalo to begin this process of healing." 

Malone said at the time he was “disappointed when they decided to discontinue their work with me.”

The events of the last several months caught the watchful eye of Cardinal Timothy Dolan Archbishop of New York.  

Weeks later, the Vatican announced it was sending Bishop of Brooklyn Nicholas DiMarzio to Buffalo for a fact-finding, Apostolic visitation.

DiMarzio visited Buffalo three times and interviewed dozens of people connected to the crisis.

And now, the man tasked with writing an impartial report, faces clergy abuse allegation of his own, calling into question the credibility of his recent findings. 

That comes as tensions began to rise between protesters and the diocese, including a couple of run-ins requiring police presence.

"We're just trying to bring attention to the fact that the real trouble still exists,” O’Connor said. “That's what we're trying to accomplish."

Malone, who went to Rome in mid-November with other bishops from the state, found himself at the center of controversy over whether he submitted his resignation to Pope Francis.

A move he emphatically denied, keeping with what he has said all along.