US EditionRhode Island Attorney General report finds decades of child sex abuse among Catholic priests
The investigation found 75 clergy credibly accused of abusing over 300 children, revealing systemic cover-ups and limited criminal accountability in the Providence Diocese.
- On Wednesday, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha released a report identifying 75 clergy credibly accused of abusing more than 300 children, with details over 280 pages of diocesan concealment.
- Launched in July 2019, the probe reviewed more than 250,000 pages of records including a 70-year `secret archive` from the Diocese of Providence dating back to 1950.
- Investigators found diocesan leaders often moved accused priests between parishes or sent them to treatment centers instead of reporting allegations to police, and Francis Santilli remained in ministry despite multiple abuse complaints.
- The report urges major reforms, including expanded monitoring of accused clergy, stronger investigations, and statutes of limitations changes, while Neronha's office has charged four priests between 2020 and 2022, with some cases pending in court.
- Nearly 150 survivors were interviewed and more than 300 potential victims contacted, while 20 additional names were added to the Diocese of Providence's list amid a community where more than 39% identify as Catholic.
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Research Discovers Decades of Sexual Abuse of Hundreds of Minors by Catholic Priests in Rhode Island
The investigation has revealed that 75 Catholic clerics have abused more than 300 victims since 1950, but authorities believe that the number of child victims and abusive priests is probably much higherDOCUMENT - Rhoe Island's Attorney General's Report on the Abuses of the Catholic Church Catholic Priests of Rhode Island abused hundreds of children for decades and were protected by bishops more concerned about the reputation of the Church than t…
Bismarck Tribune
Winston-Salem JournalDecades of clergy sex abuse uncovered in R.I.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — 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 that echoes…
Decades of clergy sex abuse uncovered in Rhode Island
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — 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 that echoes…
R.I. Attorney General releases report detailing decades of abuse in Diocese of Providence
R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha P'19 P'22 released a nearly 300-page report detailing over seven decades of Rhode Island clergy members sexually abusing minors - and how the Diocese of Providence allegedly covered up the widespread abuse.The report, which took almost seven years to produce, found 75 clergy members with credible accusations of sexual misconduct and over 300 documented victims of sex abuse at the hands of clergy members since …
Survivor of clergy sexual abuse responds to scathing report
A new report says Catholic clergy in Rhode Island abused hundreds of children for decades as church leaders minimized the scandal. According to the report, more than 300 children were molested and assaulted by at least 75 different clergy members over 70 years. William Brangham discussed the investigation with Ann Hagan Webb, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and an advocate for other survivors.
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