Msgr. Peter Popadick – Diocese of Buffalo

| Jul 1, 2020 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Monsignor Peter Popadick

Diocese of Buffalo

Peter Popadick Horowitz Law

Ordained: 1970

Assignment History:

  • 1970-1995:     Bishop Fallon High School (Buffalo, NY)
  • 1997-2020:     St. Aloysius Gonzaga (Cheektowaga, NY), Pastor

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Monsignor Peter Popadick:

According to media reports, in August 2019, Monsignor Peter Popadick was accused in a lawsuit filed under the Child Victims Act of sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy while he was working at Bishop Fallon High School in the 1970s. The survivor, now in his 60’s, reported in 2019 that Monsignor Popadick performed “unpermitted, forcible, and harmful sexual contact” with him in the gym showers after tennis practice when he was a student at the school in 1973 and 1974.  In addition to his parish duties, Monsignor Popadick served as the longtime secretary to the Diocese of Buffalo’s former Bishop Edward Head until 1995.

When the reports surfaced, Popadick was placed on administrative leave. In January 2020, Popadick returned to ministry as pastor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic Church in Cheektowaga.  The Diocese of Buffalo investigated the claim through its Independent Review Board. The Diocese said it could not substantiate the allegations against Monsignor Popadick because the accuser would not cooperate with the investigation. However, the alleged victim said he is still moving forward with his claim.

In February 2023, Popadick was alleged to be a perpetrator in another child sexual abuse claim filed in the Diocese of Buffalo bankruptcy proceeding.  This incident is alleged to have occurred in 2002 in the rectory of the St. Aloysius Gonzaga Church.  On March 15, 2023, the Diocese of Buffalo announced that Monsignor Popadick was being placed on leave for a second time on account of a second child abuse complaint.  Prior to this removal, Popadick served as pastor of St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Cheektowaga.  In July 2023, the Diocese announced it accepted its Review Board recommendation and made the determination that this second child sexual abuse claim against Rev. Msgr. Peter Popadick was unsubstantiated and he has been returned to ministry. This was the second time Popadick was placed on leave. The first time was in August 2019 after a lawsuit was filed under New York’s Child Victims Act accusing him of molesting a boy in the 1970s. He was returned to ministry in January 2020 after an investigation into that case 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.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Buffalo in New York.  The Diocese of Buffalo filed for bankruptcy protection in February 2020.  Our lawyers are now offering free legal consultations to discuss a potential lawsuit and your other options as a survivor of sexual abuse by priests and other employees of the Buffalo Diocese.

Most victims of abuse will never be able to recover damages if they miss this deadline, so please contact us to discuss your case today.   Call us at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to [email protected].