US EditionRhode Island Attorney General report finds decades of child sex abuse among Catholic priests
The investigation uncovered 75 credibly accused clergy who abused at least 315 children from 1950 to 2011, revealing systemic concealment and recommending legal reforms.
- On Wednesday, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha released a multiyear report identifying 75 clergy members and at least 315 child victims dating back to 1950.
- Investigators found the Diocese of Providence maintained the diocese's 'secret archive' for over 70 years and prioritized transfers over reporting abuse, the report says.
- The probe examined more than 250,000 pages of diocesan records dating to 1950 and found accused priests served in 36 Rhode Island towns; only 20 clergy faced charges and 14 were convicted.
- Neronha's office charged four priests between 2020 and 2022, and the report urges the Rhode Island General Assembly to extend statutes of limitations, through its lawyer.
- The report documents the church's use of treatment centers starting in the 1950s and notes the Diocese of Providence's culture of secrecy enabled abuse, with evidence of destroyed confidential files and an unknown number of victims who may have died before reporting.
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65 Articles
Catholic diocese in Rhode Island covered up 300 children’s abuse for over 75 years: AG report
Catholic priests in Rhode Island preyed on hundreds of children for decades, and were protected by bishops more concerned with the church’s reputation than the victims, according to a new report on clergy sexual abuse.
AG's office finds 20 more credibly accused priests in RI. Here's the list
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha's office has finalized its investigation into records dating back to the 1950s related to alleged sexual molestation of children by clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.
Decades of abuse covered up by Catholic church revealed in yearslong investigation
The investigation found that 75 Catholic clergy molested more than 300 victims since 1950, but stressed that the number of victimized children and abusive priests is likely much higher
Dozens of Catholic priests molested hundreds of Rhode Island victims over decades, multiyear investigation reveals
Catholic priests in Rhode Island preyed on hundreds of children for decades, getting away with sexual abuse largely due to a system where bishops prioritized minimizing scandal as the diocese maintained a secret archive to conceal the revelation of more victims.
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