“If they can prove that there’s an inappropriate sexual relationship — which you deny — between you and Matthew and I’ve known about that, and you stay as my secretary, I’m all done,” Malone said in the recording. “It could be the end.”

Catholic priests vow to be celibate, and the church considers any sexual activity outside of a marriage between a man and a woman to be sinful.

In the recording, Biernat assured the bishop that there was “nothing inappropriate” in his relationship with Bojanowski and that his professions of love for Bojanowski in the letter were an expression of a loving friendship between the two men. He also reveals to the bishop in the audio that he owns a home with Bojanowski. Biernat in The News interview described his relationship with Bojanowski as “a good, holy friendship.”

He said he began recording audio of the bishop and other diocese leaders when it became clear that Malone was dragging his feet on handling the allegations against Nowak. Those accusations surfaced in January, when Bojanowski, who at the time was a student at Christ the King Seminary, wrote a detailed letter to the diocese.

Biernat said Malone did not want to deal with the allegations.