The new Rhode Island attorney general investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Providence describes a decades-long pattern of alleged child sexual abuse and says church leaders often failed to respond in ways the report said could have protected children. Peter Neronha’s office released the findings Wednesday, estimating that 75 priests abused more than 300 children since 1950, and warning that the overall scope likely extends beyond what the investigators could document. The report also laid out how church handling of complaints changed over time, from transfers and retreat-style placements to later reliance on treatment centers, as well as steps the state and the diocese took in response.
The investigation, which Neronha’s office has conducted since 2019, was released in the context of longstanding concerns about clergy abuse nationally. Neronha’s office said the size of the alleged harm in Rhode Island had been largely unknown before the release. The attorney general also said the church could be doing more to address child sexual abuse, according to the report’s conclusions summarized by the Associated Press.
How the diocese handled reports of child abuse
According to the investigation released by Neronha, the Diocese of Providence’s historical records showed what the report characterized as frequent failures to protect children. The report described church records as “damning,” and said the diocese often did not take the proper steps to protect children from sexual abuse. It also said accused priests were sometimes moved to new assignments without thoroughly investigating complaints or contacting law enforcement.
The report described an early approach in which the Diocese of Providence opened what it called a “spiritual retreat-style facility” in the early 1950s. The report said several accused priests were sent there for periods of time with the goal of returning them to work, and that this approach later evolved. After determining that clergy abuse may be connected to mental health problems, the report said the diocese started sending accused priests to more formal treatment centers.
In its discussion of those centers, the report said the diocese showed what it called “overreliance and misplaced faith” and described the reliance as at best “absurdly Pollyannaish.” By the 1990s, the report said accused priests were sometimes placed on sabbatical leave.
Were any of the priests charged?
The investigation also examined what criminal cases were pursued. In total, Neronha’s office said 20 people — about a quarter of the clergy identified in the report — faced criminal charges, and 14 were convicted, according to the Associated Press summary of the attorney general’s findings. Other individuals identified in the report were laicized, or dismissed from the clerical state.
Neronha’s office has charged four current and former priests with sexual abuse for allegations stemming from 2020 to 2022. As of Wednesday, three of those cases were still awaiting trial. The fourth priest died after being deemed incompetent to stand trial in 2022.
How the diocese responded to the recent report
The Diocese of Providence responded to the investigation with what the Associated Press described as a lengthy statement. The diocese acknowledged that “serious missteps” were made by church leaders in the past, while emphasizing that it willingly shared internal records under a 2019 agreement with the state. The diocese also argued that the report framed the history in a way that could suggest ongoing institutional behavior that, in its view, was incorrect.
“The report presents this 75-year history in ways that might lead the reader to conclude these issues are an ongoing diocesan problem or that these are new revelations. They are not,” the statement said. In the same response, the diocese maintained that there are no “credibly accused clergy in active ministry,” as summarized by the Associated Press.
What the report said about settlements
The investigation included information on civil settlements over time. It described some settlements the Diocese of Providence made with victims, and said the church has paid “millions of dollars to settle civil abuse claims.” The report, however, described details about how settlement decisions were made as “troubling,” and said award amounts were often “modest” and limited.
The report also said the diocese stopped a financial compensation program in 2007. Neronha said that program should be reinstituted to compensate additional victims, according to the Associated Press summary.
The Associated Press also provided broader context by noting that other U.S. dioceses have reached larger multimillion-dollar settlements in clergy abuse cases, including a $180 million agreement by a New Jersey Catholic diocese earlier this year and a settlement in New Orleans approved by a federal judge in December that was at least $230 million. It also cited the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston’s agreement to pay $85 million in 2003 to settle more than 500 clergy sex abuse lawsuits.
What the Rhode Island investigation recommends
The report urged clergy leaders to address ongoing concerns about abuse. Among the changes outlined, the investigation called for clear investigative timelines and guidelines. It also urged the diocese to abandon what the report described as requiring victims to take polygraph tests, and to stop refusing to investigate third-party complaints about priests.
Neronha also made recommendations directed at Rhode Island’s legal system. He called on state lawmakers to change state laws that he said present obstacles for victims coming forward. He specifically noted that state law prevents grand jury reports from becoming public, which he said limited his office’s ability to use that option without keeping findings secret. Neronha also recommended extending the criminal statute of limitations on second-degree assault and expanding the civil statute of limitations on certain child sexual abuse claims, and said those bills are being introduced in the Democratic-controlled statehouse.