On February 11, 2014,
Pope Francis appointed Scharfenberger as bishop of Albany. He was
consecrated by Cardinal
Timothy Dolan on April 10, 2014, at the
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany, with Bishops
Howard Hubbard, and
Nicholas DiMarzio acting as co-consecrators. Scharfenberger has served as a consultor to the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews, as well as five committees of the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: the National Advisory Council, the Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs Committee, the Administrative Committee, the Committee on Priorities and Plans, and the Subcommittee on the Church in Africa. Scharfenberger said in 2018 that laypeople should investigate bishops accused of sexual abuse and failure to address cases of sexual abuse. In responding to Cardinal
Donald Wuerl's suggestion that a committee of bishops should investigate allegations into other bishops in the aftermath of the sexual abuse scandal of former Cardinal
Theodore McCarrick, Scharfenberger said that "we have reached a point where bishops alone investigating bishops is not the answer." In March 2023, Scharfenberger announced that the diocese had filed for
Chapter II bankruptcy protection. It was facing hundreds of legal claims from persons alleging that they had been victims of child sexual abuse.
Abortion In February 2017, Scharfenberger criticized three Catholic politicians, (Albany Mayor
Kathy Sheehan, State Assemblywoman
Patricia Fahy and US Congressman
Paul Tonko for supporting and attending a rally for
Planned Parenthood. In January 2019, Scharfenberger wrote an
open letter to New York Governor
Andrew Cuomo in response to the passage of the 2019 state
Reproductive Health Act:
Interfaith dialogue In March 2016, at an interfaith event, Scharfenberger said: "Christians cannot be anti-Semitic and be Christian." In July 2019, Scharfenberger was appointed by Pope Francis as consultor to the
Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews.
Apostolic Administrator of Buffalo On December 4, 2019, Francis appointed Scharfenberger as
apostolic administrator of
Diocese of Buffalo in New York, following the resignation of Bishop
Richard Malone. According to
The New York Times, Malone resigned his post following a Vatican investigation on the handling of
sex abuse allegations in Buffalo. The
New York Times reported in December 2019 that Scharfenberger had "gained a reputation for taking a more empathetic approach in his handling of the abuse crisis." At a news conference announcing his appointment as apostolic administrator, Scharfenberger said, "I am here to walk with you, and I am [here] to help you heal." Scharfenberger's responsibilities as bishop of Albany were left unchanged. On January 15, 2021, Bishop
Michael Fisher was installed as bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, taking over for Scharfenberger.
Resignation In September 2023, Scharfenberger submitted his mandatory resignation letter to the Vatican upon the occasion of his 75th birthday. On October 20, 2025, Scharfenberger's resignation from the position of Bishop of Albany was accepted by
Pope Leo XIV. The Pope appointed Bishop
Mark O'Connell, an auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of Boston, to replace Scharfenberger.
St. Clare’s Hospital pension lawsuit In December 2025, a Schenectady County jury found Scharfenberger and five other defendants liable for the collapse of the St. Clare’s Hospital pension fund, which left over 1,100 retirees with little to no benefits. The jury determined that Scharfenberger, who succeeded Bishop Howard Hubbard in 2014, had breached his fiduciary duties and assigned him 10% of the fault for the fund's failure. The jury awarded the pensioners $54.2 million in compensatory damages, ruling that Scharfenberger and other leaders were acting as agents of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany when the wrongful acts occurred. Although the jury also cleared the way for punitive damages, the second phase of the trial was abruptly halted on December 16, 2025, after Scharfenberger filed for personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy. ==Personal life==