MEMORANDUM

PRIVILEGED WORK PRODUCT
TO: FILE
FROM: LJV
RE: DIOCESE OF BUFFALO -- FR. PAUL SALEMI
DATE: September 17, 2012

During your discussion with Fr. Joe Gatto, you addressed whether we should
report this matter to the Review Board. Fr. Gattn recommended reporting it to give
the Bishop some "cover."

Fri Paul Salemi is currently a priest without an assignment. That is largely
due to his personality and inability to work with people. In fact, we have been told
that it goes beyond an anger management problem and is really pathological.

Earlier this year, Fr. Salemi had dinner with a parish volunteer who is 21
years old. They apparently had quite a hit to drink, and Fr. Salami invited the
young man to stay With him that night. During the night, Fr. Salami made a pass
at the young man, suggesting the possibility of oral sex or manual masturbation.
The young man immediately left, running out without his shoes on.

If we report this to the Review Board, We certainly need to be careful. There
are lots of reasons that this priest might be removed from ministry? the incident
with the young man may or may not be one. But if he is remnva hpnause of that
incident, then we will need to be consistent. So if making an unsuccessful pass at a
21 Year'old is a removable offense. then what about actual sexual Contact with a 24

year'old (FL-7 Or sexual contact between priests and a seminarian (Fr





We also will want to be consistent in the matters that we report to the
Review Board. If we report a matter involving a 21 year-old, then what about a 24
yearnld? Using the Charter as reference, we have a bright line: if the individual is
a minor we report it; if not, we don?t. On the other hand, there is nothing magic
about that bright line, and the same concerns are presented if the individual is 17
years and 364 days, or 18 years and 1 day.

It is a tough call. Perhaps the fact that you told Msgr. LiPuma that we might
present this to the Review Board, and discussed presenting it with Fr. Gatto as

well, should tip the balance.